Ernest "E.J." Perry III, the 61-year-old former head football coach at Andover High School, is suing the Town of Andover and Principal James D'Andrea, alleging he was passed over for his old job in favor of a younger, non-disabled candidate.

Perry filed the three-count complaint Aug. 14 in Essex Superior Court, according to Andover News. The suit alleges age discrimination, disability discrimination and retaliation under Massachusetts law and requests a jury trial.

Perry, an Andover High graduate who joined Andover Public Schools as a teacher around 1991, became the Golden Warriors' head football coach in 2010. He led the program for 13 seasons. In May 2024 he announced plans to retire from coaching at the same time he stepped down as a fifth-grade teacher at West Elementary School, but he returned for the 2024 football season.

The hiring dispute

In November 2024, then-Athletic Director Wayne Puglisi told Perry he would have to reapply for the coaching job. The position was posted internally Jan. 2, 2025, and externally Jan. 13, 2025.

Perry's complaint alleges younger, non-disabled head coaches at the school were allowed to continue without reapplying. School administrators disputed that claim during a grievance proceeding, saying every coach was required to reapply annually.

Perry has a condition called "dropped foot" that affects his ability to walk and qualifies as a disability under Massachusetts law. The complaint alleges the defendants failed to provide reasonable accommodations.

The lawsuit names Jason "Jay" Fielding, then 35, as the candidate ultimately hired despite Perry's significantly greater coaching experience. Fielding came to Andover after more than a decade on the coaching staff at Central Catholic, where he served as defensive coordinator.

A predetermined outcome?

Perry alleges that on Feb. 24, 2025, Andover basketball coach David Fazio told another coach that Perry would not get the job and that Fazio's cousin, Fielding, would be hired. That was one day before Perry's interview.

Perry sat before an 11-person committee headed by D'Andrea on Feb. 25, 2025, and underwent a second "factual finding interview" on March 5. On March 12, D'Andrea told Perry he had not been selected.

According to the complaint, Puglisi sent Perry a letter the following day calling him "the best coach the high school ever had" and enclosed a scratch ticket.

Grievance rejected, MCAD filed

The School Committee met in executive session in May 2025 to consider a grievance brought by Perry and the Andover Education Association. The committee unanimously rejected it, concluding that because Perry had retired Nov. 27, 2024, the matter was "non-grievable."

Perry filed a discrimination complaint with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination on March 19, 2025. After more than 90 days passed, he received permission to pursue the case in court.

Football family, football town

Perry's family has been called Massachusetts' "first family of football." His brothers include John Perry, a former Merrimack College head coach and NFL assistant, and James Perry, the head football coach at Brown University. Perry's son, E.J. Perry IV, was a four-year starting quarterback at Andover High who threw for 8,712 career yards and 114 touchdowns before playing at Boston College, Brown and signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The lawsuit lands as the Andover High football program rides a wave of community investment. The inaugural Andover High Football Alumni & Friends Golf Tournament raised roughly $65,000 on July 27 for the youth league and high school program, drawing about 144 golfers. Fielding went 7-4 in his first season as head coach.

State Sen. Barry Finegold, an Andover High alumnus who helped organize the golf event, said in a July 16 Andover Townsman article previewing the tournament: "Jay has brought a shot of adrenaline to the program. We're lucky with all of the great coaches we've had over the years; coach Dick Collins, Ken Maglio and E.J. Perry."

The Town of Andover and Andover Public Schools declined to comment, citing pending litigation. Perry is seeking compensatory damages, attorney's fees and punitive damages; the complaint does not specify a dollar amount.

No court date has been scheduled.