More than two dozen metro parents are furious after Phenom Baseball said a local baseball coach stole thousands of dollars from them.
Brett Vilott of Overland Park was terminated by Phenom Baseball USA, a nonprofit youth development organization, early Wednesday after the organization said the coach stole the cash.
“It [has] become very clear that Mr. Vilott has in fact stolen that money from everyone who had paid that membership fee. We can provide dispute forms to prove this,” said Phenom Baseball owner Joe Keller in an email to parents Wednesday morning.
According to parents, Vilott held tryouts in November for what he called "Nike Phenom Baseball Academy," which was marketed as an elite training league for 13- and 14-year-olds hoping to excel into high school baseball.
Once the players were chosen, parents were told to pay at least $1,950 in dues that would include all of the following:
- Baseball lessons, camps and clinics
- 2 full Nike uniforms with hats
- 1 Nike helmet
- 1 Nike baseball bag
- 12 indoor practices through March 15, two per week after
- Min. of 10 tournaments
- 8 winter classroom sessions
- League play
- A full-time coach (Vilott)
Not only did Nike have nothing to do with the program, but also parents say Vilott only showed up to five of the 12 practices.
"We're sitting here almost in May. Our boys have played zero games. If we're lucky we might have a pair of pants and a hat and we have no tournaments,” said parent Aaron Merrick.
Other parents say that practices were moved around frequently and that they were forced from one location in Independence because Vilott failed to pay dues to the facility.
"We started practicing on one of the family's farms in Louisburg,” said parent Shane Heit.
Vilott declined multiple offers for interviews with 41 Action News. However, the coach was quoted over the phone by 41 Action News, saying, “I guarantee that every one of those people will be taken care of.”
"It's frustrating as a parent to lose money. It's frustrating to watch your children suffer and be upset because they're not playing baseball,” said Merrick, who, like the other parents, is unsure if they’ll ever get their money back.
Keller said he would be happy to provide documents for the parents to help them get their money back. However, he feels that Phenom Baseball USA is not responsible for the lost cash since Vilott was an independent contractor.
"We do not feel that he was up to standards of what we were looking for, and conducting himself in a matter of what Phenom stands for … I would take him to small claims court for whatever it is that they're owed,” said Keller.
Keller said that Phenom Baseball simply sponsors teams with uniforms and branding once coaching applicants prove previous coaching experience and must pass a background check. Court documents show in September 2010, Vilott pleaded guilty to one count of prescription drug fraud for illegally obtaining Vicodin. He was sentenced to nine months in jail and 12 months of probation.
Merrick is looking at Phenom Baseball for the solution.
"I would hope that they realize the right thing to do is to make these families whole and make sure this kind of thing doesn't happen in our area again,” he said.
Below is the letter sent to parents from Joe Keller of Phenom Baseball Wednesday morning:
Dear Parents & Coaches,
On behalf of Phenom Baseball we would like to thank you all for your time, patience and assistance during this investigation. At this time we would like to announce that we have terminated the contract of Brett Vilott with the Phenom Organization. After reviewing all the information that was provided to us and information we gathered ourselves we came to this decision. The termination was based upon his criminal background, un-ethical acts and also the poor character of Mr. Vilott. As a program we are aware of the level of unprofessionalism that has been displayed by Mr. Vilott as well as the poor communication.
We want to address the issue that has been continuously brought up regarding the money that has been paid to Mr. Vilott. Upon termination of his contract Mr. Vilott disputed all payments that had been sent over to our National Office pertaining to the membership fees that each player is required to pay upon joining the program. In saying that it is has become very clear that Mr. Vilott has in fact stolen that money from everyone who had paid that membership fee. We can provide dispute forms to prove this. The greater issue with Mr. Vilott's decision to dispute the payments is that he now has single handedly taken each player out of the Phenom Organization. What that means is that no player or team will be allowed to participate under the Phenom name because they are not protected under our program insurance. This also means that no players are allowed to wear Phenom gear per contractual reasons. Going deeper into this matter is to inform everyone that Mr. Vilott has ALL funds that has been paid to the program for membership fees, uniforms, gear, training fees, etc. What that means is that all refunds and/or additional financial matters should go through Mr. Vilott. We understand that may not be an ideal piece of information at this time, but it is information that we feel strongly in communicating because we have no funds from Mr. Vilott as agian he has disputed all payments.
Phenom has always been upstanding and professional since the start of the program. We pride ourselves on doing things the "Phenom Way". This refers to the way we teach our players to play the game but also how we run our program. Character is so important not only when it comes to the game of baseball but also when it comes to the game of life. We talk continuoulsy to our athletes about doing things the right way and we also hold every coach within our program to the same standard. After gathering the facts it made our decision going forward very easy.
At this point if there is anyone who would like to remain with the Phenom program, your account will be handled by the national office until we are able to get a regional director in your area.
We would like to thank you for your input, efforts and patience during this process. Phenom is committed to doing all we can to make this situation right.
We would like to thank you for your time. Please feel free to contact us with any additional comments or concerns.
Thank You
Joe Keller
Phenom Baseball Inc.
------
Josh Helmuth can be reached at josh.helmuth@kshb.com
