REGIONAL – Kevin Fair was coaching the Georgetown High School boys’ varsity basketball team to its 11th straight win in mid-February, defeating Newburyport in a hard-fought game when several observers have reported that some fans began yelling racial slurs at Georgetown players.
Several Georgetown players are transfer students from the city of Lawrence. According to people attending the game, fans chanted, “Are you black? Are you white?” A few made monkey noises, according to the sources.
The Georgetown Royals with a record of 14 and four at the time defeated the previously undefeated Newburyport Clippers 72-65.
Angry at the disrespect for his players, Fair expressed his outrage during the game by holding up his middle finger, known as “the bird,” at the offending fans. After the game, he apologized for his action.
As a result of the incident, Georgetown Schools Supt. Margaret Ferrick told Fair, who coached under a contract, he could resign from coaching or be fired from not only the boys’ basketball team, but also the girls’ soccer team next fall and girls’ softball team this spring.
Fair did not agree to an interview with The Town Common about his dismissals, saying through others close to him that he wanted to protect his players from the controversy and take “the high road” as an example to his players on all three teams.
Since Fair was forced out of his coaching positions, those close to him have said there has been a significant outpouring of support for Fair from other coaches and members of the Georgetown athletic community, particularly parents of players he has coached. Most have commented that firing the beloved Fair seemed excessive and that his actions should have been no more than a two-game suspension.
When asked about Fair’s removal, Ferrick wrote that she would not comment on a personnel matter.
Anna DeVitto, the Newburyport Public Schools Athletic Director, wrote that the accusations of racial slurs “were not substantiated” by “a full investigation” by the Georgetown Public Schools.
“In relation to the claims of racial slurs, a full investigation was conducted by Georgetown Public Schools,” DeVitto wrote. “The investigation concluded that claims regarding Newburyport students and fans were not substantiated. We appreciate the (Georgetown Public Schools) GPS collaborative approach to addressing the claims.”
She did not respond to whether Newburyport schools had conducted an investigation. Newburyport Schools have a strict no-bullying policy.
Ferrick did not explain how Georgetown schools officials conducted an inquiry into the coach’s action or those of the Newburyport fans. Newburyport Superintendent Sean Gallagher has been asked to conduct an investigation.
Friends of the coach, who are part of the Georgetown community, said Fair was unaware of an investigation by the Georgetown schools of the incident.
A review on You Tube of the game between Newburyport and Georgetown showed it was hotly contested with a substantial number of fouls.
Mukala Kambongo, the commentator of the game for his own high school sports channel, noted that the fans needed “to settle down.” He said the student section “is wild.”
Fair took over the Georgetown boys’ basketball program for the 2025-26 season following the departure of Josh Keilty, who left for a position at St. Mary’s School in Lynn. Fair, who was a scout for the Georgetown team, was quoted as saying, “I couldn’t be more excited and honored to get this position.”
“Josh and I are the best of friends. I’ve been behind the scenes for him for a long time now, been scouting for him for three years and coaching summer leagues and small leagues. It was definitely a really difficult decision for Josh to leave. I mean, he’s a Georgetown kid who put this program on the map. But with the relationships I already have with the kids on the team, we all felt it would be best for them if I stayed.”
Fair was the Georgetown varsity girls soccer coach from 2021 to 2025 when his team won 57 games in five years and took the team to the Elite 8 playoffs four years in a row.
He was the assistant girls varsity softball coach for three years. And he was named to the Milford High School Athletic Hall of Fame.
Ava Fair, the coach’s daughter, a senior at Georgetown High, wrote before the incident, “My Dad is no average coach. He is supportive, dedicated and invested role model for his players. Many of my teammates and friends see him as their own father figure and someone they can call for anything at any time.” ♦
