He was posing in the background at a raucous pool party, but it was enough cost him his job as a Phys-Ed and Health teacher at the Merrick Middle School.
"It's more than a job for me, it's a passion. I love what I do; I'm extensively involved in the community. I coach every season, football, wrestling, track," said Stefan Serie, a former Merrick teacher.
He appeared on "Bravo" last month on an episode of a show called "Princesses, Long Island".
Serie says he appeared as a favor for a friend, that he had no dialogue, wasn't paid, and had no idea what he was getting into.
"At the end of the episode, once I had a deeper understanding of the characters and the context of the show, I willingly removed myself from any other association, and that was last summer," Serie said.
But he appeared in a scene where people are clearly drinking, and using undeniably vulgar language.
Sources say school officials believed Serie had compromised his stature as a role model.
His attorney says Serie's supporters feel differently.
"His union walked away from him, the school board walked away from him, everyone's walked away from him except the people that matter, the parents, the students, the community," said Joseph Kilada, Serie's Attorney.
"I don't believe I did anything wrong and the community is standing behind me 100%. There hasn't been any negative feedback, the community is standing up for my character and integrity and nobody believes I did anything wrong," Serie said.
