“It's scandalous to be made to look like someone dishonest”: Pierre Caillet, ASBH manager, defends himself after being singled out for his behavior in the Taleta Tupuola domestic violence case

Pierre Caillet a l’intention de porter plainte pour diffamation. Midi Libre – Michael Esdourrubailh

Pierre Caillet, le manager de l’ASBH, se retrouve pointé du doigt en marge des affaires de violence conjugales, dont sont accusés deux joueurs de son club, Taleta Tupuola et Hans Nkinsi. Remonté, il s’en explique.

During the trial on November 13th, before the Béziers court, of rugby player Taleta Tupuola, convicted of domestic violence, Pierre Caillet, the manager of ASBH, was singled out by the deputy prosecutor. The latter noted that Shawna Tupuola, the victim, had stated when she filed her complaint “that they did not want her to give her real name.” She allegedly added: “Pierre wanted the anonymity of my name to be respected.” The newspaper The team which clearly had access to the file, also shared testimonies assuring that Pierre Caillet had tried to dissuade the victim from going to the hospital. “Not at all” retorts the coach, particularly affected by these accusations that he considers “slanderous”.

Raphaël Balland: “A false controversy”

Contacted about the accusations against Pierre Caillet, Raphaël Balland, the public prosecutor, explains: “I fear that a false controversy is beginning to emerge. Indeed, after rereading the minutes of the procedure initiated by the Béziers police station, I think that while it can be said that the coach probably wanted to ensure a certain discretion regarding the acts committed by his player, I do not identify any evidence that would allow me to say that the victim may have been subjected to pressure from him not to reveal the facts."

It was also mentioned that the ASBH manager told Shawna Tupuloa at the hospital, “You have no respect” when giving her name. Raphaël Balland points out that “The minutes are written in such a way that it is not clear to whom the coach was addressing himself when he allegedly said “you have no respect”. Personally, I deduce that he was criticizing the medical staff since in any event the victim had necessarily given her name when she was admitted to the emergency room and it was not she who said her name out loud. So I don't see why he would blame the victim for anything at that point."

What happened on the night of October 5th, after Taleta Tupuola hit his wife ?

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It was 4-5 in the morning. I was sleeping. I received persistent calls from players. I finally woke up and answered. The player I had on the phone said, “Coach, there's a problem. We don't know what to do.” He explained that Taleta and Shawna had had an argument, that there was blood… I asked where they were and he told me that Taleta was sleeping and that they had told Shawna to come to my house. I barely had time to hang up when there was a knock at my door.

Who was there when you opened the door?

There was Shawna Tupuola, traumatized, in shock, groggy and Mrs. Dodson (wife of the second line from Béziers, editor's note)who was visibly drunk and hysterical. She was screaming, mixing English and French. Shawna Tupuola, on the other hand, was lost. Wanting to calm the situation down, she kept repeating “No drama, no police, please” (no drama, no police, please). Mrs. Dodson continued to scream. She told me that Taleta had tried to kill Shawna, that it was unacceptable, that her father (to her, Mrs. Dodson, editor's note) is the owner of the Chicago Bears in the United States, that the coaches are all bastards… She was mixing everything up. She asked what we were doing at my house. My partner's children were crying. I asked her to get out of my house and I said “we're going to the hospital”. My partner drove the vehicle. I sat in the passenger seat and Shawna in the back. I asked Mrs. Dodson to get in with us as well.

Did you get upset in the emergency room ?

It seemed to me that there weren't many people and I felt that her care wasn't going fast enough. That's the only reason I got a little upset. We were then told to go to the entrance to get the hospital admission labels. We gave her health card, I translated everything. I don't see how to hide her name. Plus, there was the nurse in front of me. Once the labels were done, I called the club doctor to ask him if he knew anyone in the emergency room who could give us information on the severity of Shawna's injuries and if Mrs. Dodson, who was pacing around, could go see her. Once we got the news, I walked home. I don't live very far away. It must have been 10 a.m.

What state of mind are you in today?

I feel sad and angry. I am accused of hiding domestic violence, of failing to assist people in danger, of manipulating players, of hiding evidence. They are trying to make me bear something serious that has nothing to do with my values ​​or my behavior. I am emotional. I give a lot to my players. Yes, I take blows to protect them, so that their families are well… It is clear that the facts attributed to Taleta are very serious. It is unforgivable. But now, that I am made to look like someone dishonest, that my name is being tarnished, it is scandalous. The only thing I have tried to limit is all the noise that has been made around this story. Because I want to protect my players, the club. And I repeat, I never wanted to hide the facts.

Isn't this detrimental to your career?

Yes, it is detrimental to my position. I was supposed to have a business meeting that was canceled because of this. I will not let that happen. I was personally pushed around, I was not respected and it is harming my career, I will ask for a denial from the newspaper L’Équipe, I will file a complaint for defamation and ask for damages for the harm to my professional career.

Are you supported within the club?

During this whole story, the only one who supported me was Jean-Michel Vidal, even though he is no longer president. I have just received support from Andrew Mehrtens and Bobby Skinstad who assured me that they will provide me with a lawyer and that I will be supported in my efforts.

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