SAN MARTIN
– Former Gavilan assistant football coach Fred McGrew pleaded
not guilty to impersonating retired NFL linebacker Larry McGrew
Tuesday in Santa Clara County Superior Court.
SAN MARTIN – Former Gavilan assistant football coach Fred McGrew pleaded not guilty to impersonating retired NFL linebacker Larry McGrew Tuesday in Santa Clara County Superior Court.
McGrew has already confessed to police and others that he posed as the former New England Patriot, but he said Tuesday that this scheme had no adverse consequence on the real Larry McGrew.
To convict Fred McGrew if the case comes to trial, county Deputy District Attorney Mark Hood would have to prove that the hoax did expose Larry McGrew to liability.
McGrew’s next court appearance is scheduled Oct. 28.
While McGrew was still claiming to be a retired pro, Gavilan fired him Sept. 9, saying his coaching style clashed with Gavilan Head Coach John Lango.
Later that day, college Athletic Director Ron Hannon reported suspicions about McGrew’s identity to Gilroy police. When arrested the next day, McGrew confessed to police he was not Larry McGrew – that he had falsely claimed this to make himself more employable. He then said Larry McGrew was his uncle – a claim the real Larry McGrew later said was untrue.
McGrew also confessed to giving Gavilan a false Social Security number, one that actually belongs to an elderly out-of-state woman. McGrew did this, he said, to protect his income from a child-support claim. Now McGrew says he just wants to get back to his true love – football.
“What I want to do with the rest of my life is coach football,” McGrew said. “I’m not saying what I did was right, (but) look at my coaching. I can coach. … The kids wanted me to coach. … I tell you this: I will coach again.”
Although the résumé and reference list McGrew gave to Lango was loaded with false claims, McGrew said much of the playing and coaching experience shown there was true for him. He claims he has six years of coaching experience and has played professional arena football and for a “highly respected college” which he did not name. McGrew pointed out that while the Gavilan team won its first game of the year with him on the sidelines. The Rams are 2-5 heading into the start of Coast Conference action this week.
“Those players are not playing for (Lango),” McGrew said. “They are not winning.”
“All the kids believe in me,” McGrew said.
