| Rome | |
|---|---|
 Coach Rome in his element | |
| Vital Statistics | |
| Gender | Male |
| Status | Alive |
| Occupation | Former Swim Coach |
| Character Information | |
| Appearances | "The Dead Pool" |
| Portrayed by | Erik Palladino |
Coach Rome, no first name given, was the man behind U.N.Y.'s hyper-successful swim team.
The UNY team even included a couple of genuine Olympic prospects. Tragically, one of the future stars, Zach Lindsey, was found drowned. Coach Rome was one of many with a motive.
It emerged that he had managed to get his hands on a performance-enhancing drug which was undetectable using standard tests, and had been using the drug to help wealthy athlete Brian Morris maintain his position at the top of the heap. Zach's apartment contained vials of the drug but his system didn't, it suggested that Zach had discovered the drug use by others on his team.
The coach was a very viable suspect. Discovery would have meant the end of his career. However, Rome turned out to have been innocent. Instead, it was his former protege, Rob Tredwyck. Tredwyck had fueled his meteoric rise to sports superstardom using the same drug.
Athletes' blood samples are kept in storage for several years after their races, so if Coach Rome was exposed, the samples of his former athletes would have been re-tested with tests designed to catch that specific drug. Discovery would have meant that Tredwyck's medals would have been revoked, his endorsement deals cancelled, his career ruined.
In the end, while Coach Rome was not guilty of murder, he was guilty of trafficking in the illegal drug, and his career was ruined anyway, along with those he "helped" such as Brian.