Hall of Fame cross country coach Bill Aris,70, made a name for himself at Fayetteville Manlius High School, where he guided the girls’ team to 11 Nike Cross Nationals titles and earned the nickname “Lombardi of Team Running.” But the veteran coach is said to have been on paid administrative leave for almost a month now. All signs point to him being sidelined, following the Fayetteville-Manlius Central School District’s inquiry into complaints by some parents regarding some of his training techniques.
The school board voted on May 11, 2026, to hire attorney Randy Ray at $150 an hour to investigate an unnamed incident under the district’s harassment and bullying policy, according to the Marathon Handbook. However, Aris was removed from his duties in early May, during the outdoor track season. Since then, he has been barred from school property, coaching activities, and away meets.
The investigation traces back to an August 2025 letter sent to the district by attorney James Long on behalf of a group calling itself Concerned Families of F-M Cross Country and Track & Field. A CNYCentral report claims the letter alleged that athletes were “plagued with injuries: stress fractures, avulsion fractures, ruptured tendons, and other orthopedic injuries due to overtraining.”…