Boston, MA
2024 Boys Tennis All-Scholastics and League All-Stars
BOYS TENNIS
Lucas Bikkesbakker (Concord-Carlisle)
Kiran Bhatia (Brookline)
Ravin Bhatia (Brookline)
Tucker Catalano (Duxbury)
Peter Chen (Weston)
John DeAngelis (St. John’s Prep)
Dillon Denny-Brown (Bedford)
Deven Devaiah (Brookline)
John Dickens (Milton)
Max Ding (Weston)
Mika Garber (Marblehead)
Boris Kouzimnov (St. John’s Prep)
Connor Liona (Westford Academy)
Jack Prokopis (St. John’s Prep)
Luke Prokopis (St. John’s Prep)
Arvind Rajarajan (Lexington)
Evan Saptari (Lexington)
Lochlan Seth (Newton North)
Bennett Stout (Duxbury)
Timothy Vargas (Duxbury)
HONORABLE MENTION
Oscar Andren (Haverhill)
Winston Chan (Brookline)
Rishi Dasari (Acton-Boxboro)
Ben DiPesa (Scituate)
Luke Free (St. John’s Prep)
Luke Grief (Wakefield)
Neema Khosravani (Mansfield)
Joe Krattenmaker (Hopkinton)
Charlie Lankow (Cohasset)
Saunak Manna (Westford Academy)
Jay Raj (Mystic Valley)
Charles Schepens (Swampscott)
Parker Schultz (Hingham)
Ronak Wakhlu (Lexington)
Ethan Warhaftig (Hingham)
Julian Wong (Belmont)
ALL-SCHOLASTICS
LUCAS BIKKESBAKKER
CONCORD-CARLISLE
The Dual County League Player of the Year went 16-1 playing at first singles during the season, giving him a career record of 41-9. The senior was a mainstay for Concord-Carlisle which went 14-4 and advanced to the Div. 1 state finals. He will play tennis and double major in economics and political science at Holy Cross.
KIRAN BHATIA
BROOKLINE
The junior was 20-1 at first doubles and also won his only singles matches in helping his team advance to the Div. 1 state semifinals. For his career, Bhatia has a doubles record of 52-2. The two-time Bay State Conference All-Star was awarded the 2022 Jason Schreiber Award for Most Influential Freshman Athlete on the boys tennis team.
RAVIN BHATIA
BROOKLINE
A two-time Boston Herald All-Scholastic and Bay State Conference All-Star, Bhatia went 20-1 for a Brookline team that advanced to the Final Four in Div. 1. An excellent student with a 4.0 unweighted GPA, Bhatia’s long term goals are to study political science and journalism.
TUCKER CATALANO
DUXBURY
The senior doubles specialist capped off a perfect career by going 21-0 including a deciding match victory in the Div. 1 state semifinal. Catalano ended his career by posting a 60-0 record. An excellent student, Catalano maintained a GPA of 4.05 or higher in each of his four years of high school. He will attend Connecticut College.
PETER CHEN
WESTON
The all-Dual County League performer earned his second straight All-Scholastic berth after posting a 13-0 record during the regular season, improving his career mark to 31-0. Chen competed in the inaugural USTA Massachusetts High School State Individual tournament, advancing to the second round.
JOHN DEANGELIS
ST. JOHN’S PREP
The No. 1 player for the Div. 1 state champions was 18-3 on the season and reached the quarterfinals of the USTA Massachusetts High School State Individual tournament. The MVP of the Catholic Conference, the sophomore has lost just four matches in his career. He is a member of the Spanish National Honor Society.
DILLON DENNY-BROWN
BEDFORD
The junior led Bedford to a 14-6 season and a berth in the Div. 3 state finals. Highly touted with a 7.2 Universal Tennis Rating, Denny-Brown reached the Round of 16 at the USTA Massachusetts High School State Individuals. His eventual aspirations are to play Div. 3 college tennis or Div. 1 at the club level.
DEVEN DEVAIAH
BROOKLINE
The No. 1 singles player for the perennial state tennis power helped Brookline reach the Div. 1 state semifinals. A former Boston Herald All-Scholastic, Devaiah has an unweighted 4.0 GPA in all honors and advanced classes. One of the top ranked players in the state, Devaiah is involved in USTA tennis.
JOHN DICKENS
MILTON
The junior was nearly perfect during the regular season, going 15-0 and losing just one set in the process. The two-time Bay State Conference All-Star was MVP of the league’s Herget Division and team MVP for the second time. He has a career record of 48-3. An honor roll student, Dickens was the recipient of the Williams College Book Award in May.
MAX DING
WESTON
The senior was Dual County League Player of the Year after posting an 18-4 record at first singles for the Div. 3 state champions. A four-time Boston Herald All-Scholastic, Ding is a member of the National Honor Society and earned the Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy for proficiency in Latin. Ding will major in applied mathematics and finance at Washington University in St. Louis.
MIKA GARBER
MARBLEHEAD
Garber battled through a hamstring injury to post a 15-2 record and helped the Magicians advance to the second round of the Div. 2 state tournament. The three-time Northeastern Conference MVP ended his career with a 60-9 mark, all coming at first singles. A high honors student with a 4.2 GPA, Garber will attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he will study computer science and play club tennis.
BORIS KOUZMINOV
ST. JOHN’S PREP
The sophomore stepped up at first doubles, losing just one match as St. John’s Prep rolled to the Div. 1 state title. A high honors student, Kouzminov wants to become a professional in the field of dentistry. In the offseason, Kouzminov trains at Montoya Tennis.
CONNOR LIONA
WESTFORD ACADEMY
The winner of the first USTA Massachusetts High School State Individual tournament, Liona went 14-3 and earned MVP honors in the Dual County League. The three-time team captain ended his career with a 43-15 mark, all coming at first singles. A member of the National Honor Society, Liona will play college tennis at Sacred Heart University.
JACK PROKOPIS
ST. JOHN’S PREP
The Catholic Conference All-Star posted a 20-2 mark in helping his Eagles win the Div. 1 title. A three-time league all-star, Prokopis has a career record of 56-9. He is a member of both the National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society and received an Academic Excellence Award in Religious Studies.
LUKE PROKOPIS
ST. JOHN’S PREP
Prokopis was outstanding at first doubles, posting a 20-1 record for an undefeated St. John’s Prep squad. The three-time Catholic Conference All-Star has an overall record of 54-6. A member of the National Honor Society and World Language Honor Society, Prokopis carries a 4.43 GPA.
EVAN SAPTARI
LEXINGTON
A Middlesex League All-Star, the sophomore went 16-3 at first doubles as Lexington advanced to the Div. 1 state semifinals. The two-time honor roll student lists guitar, fishing, running, and skiing as his hobbies. Saptari trains in the offseason at the Thoreau Club.
LOCHLAN SETH
NEWTON NORTH
The senior standout was one of the top players in the state, losing just one match during the season. The MVP of the Bay State Conference was a finalist at the USTA Massachusetts High School State Individuals. Ranked among the top three in New England and top-100 nationally, Seth will continue his tennis career at Colgate University.
BENJAMIN STOUT
DUXBURY
One of the premier doubles specialists in the state, Stout was undefeated at first doubles in helping Duxbury go 20-2 and advance to the Div. 2 state team finals. The junior trains in the offseason at the Weymouth Club.
TIMOTHY VARGAS
DUXBURY
The MVP of the Patriot League as well as a league Scholar Award recipient, the junior played first singles for the eventual Div. 2 state finalists. An honor roll student, Vargas was a semifinalist at the USTA Massachusetts High School State Individuals and also won an L4 USTA clay court tournament.
LEAGUE ALL-STARS
BAY STATE CONFERENCE
John Dickens, Ethan Tran (Milton); Jack Rixner, Jack Wexler (Needham); Deven Devaiah, Winson Chan, Dhevin Nahata, Kiran Bhatia, Ravin Bhatia (Brookline); Lochlan Seth, Johnny Wastcoat, Warren Feldman (Newton North); Arthas Goutham, Griffin Jordan (Wellesley); Michael Boland, Stephen Jung (Walpole); Nadav Fuxman (Natick); Jordan Cohen (Framingham)
MVP: John Dickens, Lochlan Seth
CAPE AND ISLANDS
ATLANTIC DIVISION: Zak Potter, Caleb Dubin, Otis Forrester, Kyle Levy, Tommy Flynn, Kert Kleeman (Martha’s Vineyard); Eric Arabadzhiev, Brennan Riley, Michael Higginbotham. Connor O’Reilly (Barnstable); Soren Jones Carlson, Salvi Cacciola (Nauset); Ryan Casey, Roman Pavluzhenko (Monomoy)
MVP: Zak Potter
LIGHTHOUSE DIVISION: Ben Catalano, Connor Hall, Garret Wilson, Ayden Naydenov (Cape Cod Academy); Henry Kathawala, Sam Iller, Fuller Holland (Nantucket); Colby Hall, Robert Muhov, Frandisco Garcia Raya, Thomas Nutbrown (Sturgis); Jack Flynn (Rising Tide); Ben Kowal (St. John Paul II)
MVP: Ben Catalano
CAPE ANN LEAGUE
Max Clarke, Henry Stinson (Hamilton-Wenham); Roman Ton (North Reading); Dan Levin, Shea McCarthy, Russell Kasdon, Shlok Kudrimoti, Slate Lopilato, Kurt Rothermund, Matt Reinold (Lynnfield)
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Dan Levin, Max Clarke, Henry Stinson
CATHOLIC CENTRAL LEAGUE
Max Comey, Kaya Yuceler, James Mallon, Nakul Bhatia, Casey Fennell (Bishop Feehan); Brian Ward, Thomas Clavell, Nicholas Hutchens, Noah Yetman (Bishop Stang); Sean Caldwell, Luke Nanopoulos, Gabriel Aljalian (Arlington Catholic); Steve Nason, Thomas Shea (St. Mary’s); Cole Schroeder (Bishop Fenwick)
MVP: Sean Caldwell
CATHOLIC CONFERENCE
John DeAngelis, Jack Prokopis, Luke Free, Luke Porkopis, Boris Kouzminov, Mark McDuffee, Alex Melville (St. John’s Prep); Chris Curran, Andrew Garofoli, Ethan Holson, Ryan Berns (BC High); Agam Kukreja, Andrew D’Angelo, Aarav Jain, Lukas Pannenborg (St. John’s Shrewsbury); Cam Peterson, Tripp Carven (Xaverian); Andrew Spagnuolo (Catholic Memorial); Nam Dinh, Matteo Peledge (Malden Catholic)
MVP: John DeAngelis
COMMONWEALTH ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
CO-ED: Jess Campo, Isobel Callahan, Chloe Callahan, JC Luna, Brody Adkins, Aiden Gibson, Ethan King, Marc Taboucherani (Fellowship Academy); Annabel Senechiame, Julio Kuchuminski, Avery Dube, Sydney Geoffroy, Norah Rondeau, Abigail Honan, Luiggi Ferreira, Giovanni De Oliveira, Samuel Lucena (Greater Lowell); Katherine Xu (Mystic Valley); Riley Olsen, Khianna Ducharme (Nashoba Tech); Matt Cipriano, Victor Phan (Saugus/Northeast); Jasmine Johansen, Sarah Johansen, Ethan Hines, Faith Martin, Trevor Engel (Shawsheen)
DUAL COUNTY LEAGUE
ALL-CONFERENCE: Max Ding, Peter Chen (Weston), Lucas Bikkesbakker (Concord-Carlisle); Connor Liona, Saunak Manna (Westford Academy); Marti Sarquella, Rishi Dasari (Acton Boxboro); Dillon Denny-Brown (Bedford); Toby Kylberger (Wayland)
ALL-STARS: Jeremy Gu, Spencer Goss, Logan Cox (Bedford); Jeffrey Zhang, Josh Proctor, Henrique Abecasis (Wayland); Magnus Sterritt (Weston); Ethan Tran, Luis Bullock Gonzalez (Boston Latin); Nikolas Joannidis (Waltham); Benjamin Ostrovsky, T.J. Fahey, Pedro Nachbin (Concord-Carlisle); Siddhant Ganeshawaran (Acton-Boxboro)
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Max Ding, Lucas Bikkesbakker
GREATER BOSTON LEAGUE
Damian Mangino, Ethan Cross, Emmett Easton (Somerville); Mogos Ghile, Archer Ou, Illyes Ouldsaada, Steven Luong (Malden); Axil Ortiz, Victor Bun, Andy Ly (Lynn Classical); Edward Salazar, Eric Salazar (Lynn English); Leo Mantenuto (Medford); Bryant Jiminez (Everett); Nicolas Aguiar (Revere)
MVP: Damian Mangino
HOCKOMOCK LEAGUE
Neema Khosravani, Nikhil Nain (Mansfield); Kyle Neuendorf, Tyler Rocchio, Luke Hinton, Brady Rosen (Attleboro); Bharat Ramanathan (Canton); Luca Meyer, Raj Jetty (Foxboro); Jay Gorgas (Franklin); Arjun Kollu, Luke Bailer (King Philip); Quinn DiFiore (North Attleboro); Nick Westerbeke (Oliver Ames); Alex Budovalcev, Sava Kassev, Matthew Lally, Isaac Chen, Jacob Slavsky (Sharon)
MVP: Neema Khosravani
MAYFLOWER ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
Connor Kennedy, Michael Larivee (Diman); Brett Brophy, Ajani Bunting (Wareham); Sam Van Saun, Jack Keane, Luke Coelho (Westport)
MVP: Sam Van Saun
MERRIMACK VALLEY CONFERENCE
Oscar Andren (Haverhill); Nik Narina, Akarsh Janarthanan, Conor Rea, Sam Gomer, Peter Doan, Kian Keyhan, Hridai Dharan (Andover)
MVP: Oscar Andren
MIDDLESEX LEAGUE
LIBERTY: Ronak Wakhlu, Neil Keltcher, Ronnie Prasad, Sritan Devineni, Evan Saptari, Arvind Rajarajan, Darius Jin (Lexington); Sam Song, Jeff Chen, Thomas Andrews, Raffi Parseghian, Max Griffin, Carl Stredicke (Winchester); Omkar Adhiya, Elia Kikuchi, Yuta Kikuchi, Henry Ruderman, Leo Fritsch (Arlington); Charlie Osborn, Julian Wong, Ben Miller, Henry Moriarty (Belmont); Luke Zannino, Pip Balas (Reading); Anik Patel (Woburn)
FREEDOM: Sohan Shah, Aditya Pathak, Andrew Perl, Abhay Jhunett, Krish Soni (Burlington); Luke Greif, Trevor Vellieux, Kevin DeGray (Wakefield); Anvi Ganghu, Said Karani, Ryan Weinstein (Wilmington); Daniel Teittinen, Nathan Chow (Melrose); Nash Goldstein (Watertown); Anubhau Thapaliya (Stoneham)
MVP: Ronak Wakhlu, Julian Wong, Luke Greif
NORTHEASTERN CONFERENCE
ALL-CONFERENCE: Julian Flacke, Lucas Bereaud, Charles Schepens (Swampscott); Jayden Janock, Leo Winocour, Mika Garber, Etan Farfel (Marblehead); Andre Payano Sosa, Shane Widtfeldt (Gloucester)
DUNN: TJ Kelly, Anthony Vizy, Ty Cooper (Marblehead); Nick Custer, Trevor Talebian, Sam Schepens (Swampscott); Anders Littman (Gloucester); Kai Hird, Jack Eaton (Masconomet); Luca Pasquarello (Beverly)
LYNCH: Jack Osburn, Nick Cirelli, Nathaniel Derosier (Winthrop); Finn Hangar, Rylan Workman, Eden McClain (Salem)
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Charles Schepens
PATRIOT LEAGUE
KEENAN: Tim Vargas, Peter Burnham, Taylor Bettencourt, Bennett Stout, Tucker Catalano (Duxbury); Parker Schultz, Ethan Warhaftig, Travis Rugg (Hingham); Will Bergendahl, Danny Stephenson (Plymouth North); Tristan Baker (Whitman-Hanson); Dylan Cicone (Silver Lake)
MVP: Tim Vargas
FISHER: Ben DiPesa, Shea Tinkham, Cooper McDonald, Jack Dalicandro (Scituate); Tom Duan, Philip Wang, Ian Ronan (North Quincy); Daniel Lyons, Charlie Ruggiero (Plymouth South); Alex Fredette (Hanover); Henry Wilde (Quincy); Jason DeBella (Pembroke)
MVP: Ben DiPesa
SOUTH COAST CONFERENCE
Will Horton, Nathan Belmore, Ethan Clark, Ryan Abreau (Apponequet); Zach Costa, Jacksson Souza, Max Petit (Somerset Berkley); Abhi Patel (Seekonk); Jacob Hadley, Peter LeGassic (Old Rochester); David Anghinetti (Dighton-Rehoboth); Coby Yin, Kole Pinto (Fairhaven); Owen Borges (Case)
MVP: Will Horton
SOUTHEAST CONFERENCE
Banks Beckwith (Bridgewater-Raynham); Luke Bloom-Glover, Shreyas Rathod, Owen Nielson, Charles Camisa, Isaiah Beckwith, Stephen Wei (Dartmouth); Will Rumsey (Durfee)
MVP: Luke Bloom-Glover
SOUTH SHORE LEAGUE
SULLIVAN: Connor McNaughton (Middleboro); Evan Petit, Aidan Gilmartin, Luca Moretti-Fuli, Matt Alabiso, Ben Garland (Norwell); Kaden Gestel, Nick Mesheau, Mo Asad, Lucas Cavicchi (Rockland); Andrew Emmel, Andrew Chanya, Kallen Kestenbaum (Sandwich)
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Andrew Emmel
TOBIN: Nathan Ludlam, Will Wildfire (Abington); Eamon Maxwell, Charlie Lankow, Blaise Bastille, Tyler Henry (Cohasset); Colin Burdge, James Benners, Andrew Kelley (Mashpee)
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Charlie Lankow
TRI-VALLEY LEAGUE
Joe Krattenmaker, Rishit Shekhar, Ilian Grace, Sooraj Sambasivam, Kais Guessab (Hopkinton); Dominik Dwyer, Kevin Bojkov (Dedham); Max Glick, Dalai Xu, Yair Elman, Harrison DePaola (Dover-Sherborn); Warren Churchill, Alec Bormann, Nathan DePaola, Fisher Roberts (Medfield); Gunther Guleserian, Andrew Easton (Westwood); Sam Tavassoli Hojati, Matthew Weise (Norton); Partha Jammalamadaka (Norwood); Alex Menard, Tommy Stotz (Medway)
MVP: Joe Krattenmaker, Dominik Dwyer
Boston, MA
Boston Signs Big Blueliner Rylind MacKinnon To One-Year Extension
The Boston Fleet have signed defender Rylind MacKinnon to a one-year contract bringing back the 5-foot-10 defender.
Last season was MacKinnon’s first with the Fleet, whhere she recorded one assist in 28 appearances, and also played in three games.
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According to the Fleet MacKinnon added “grit and physicality to the team’s blue line.”
The 26-year-old British Columbia product signed as a free agent with the Toronto Sceptres after going unselected in the 2024 PWHL Draft playing 22 games for the Sceptres as a rookie.
Collegiately, MacKinnon was the University of British Columbia’s all-time leading scorer by a defender.
Boston now has 13 players signed including MacKinnon, Loren Gabel, Ella Huber, Laura Kluge, Shay Maloney, Olivia Mobley, Jill Saulnier, Liz Schepers, Sophie Shirley Susanna Tapani Amanda Thiele, Megan Keller, Haley Winn, and Aerin Frankel.
Boston, MA
Duck parades, outdoor drinking, and Gronk in a kilt. Here’s how Friday’s World Cup festivities unfolded. – The Boston Globe
Despite concerns about transportation and crowd management, the region’s biggest World Cup day yet appeared to unfold largely without major problems.
Morocco fans, many of whom celebrated on Shirley Avenue in Revere, rejoiced after their win against Scotland.
“We’re going to go very far in this World Cup,” predicted David Lalou, a Moroccan fan from Casablanca who saw the game live.
Here’s how Friday’s festivities unfolded.
The drinks continued flowing
Mayor Michelle Wu announced Thursday that in two zones in the city – the Temple Place Social District and the Union-Marshall Street district – it would be legal for patrons to consume alcohol outdoors.
The measure took effect Friday, and by game time the two zones had quickly become lively block parties, complete with live music and hearty Scottish accents.
Zachary Lobel, 22, of Newton, and Ruairidh Davidson, 24, of Inverness, Scotland, independently brought their bagpipes to Union Street. The pair found each other, and a crowd of people gathered to watch them play.
George Comeau, a senior event manager with the Downtown Boston Alliance, organized the outdoor alcohol consumption zone on Temple Place. He estimated at 6:30 p.m. that 4,000 fans were watching the Scotland-Morocco game from the party there.
On the Common, a free watch party attracted fans of every competing team.
Stan Abraham, 38, of Jamaica Plain, came with friends to support Haiti in its match against Brazil.
“I just got to be around my people, around the energy,” he said.

Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey, who is up for reelection this year, shook hands and posed for pictures with gleeful Scottish fans outside The Dubliner, the popular Government Center bar.
“I would’ve said it was impossible to drink Boston dry, but clearly [the Scots] are here and they are testing the capacity of the city to serve them,” Markey said. “It’s just a happy week.”

In the Boston Public Market, which extended its hours for FIFA Fan Fest, thirsty Scottish fans did just that, lining up through the narrow Boston Beer Alley, their arms filled with as much alcohol as they could carry.
“I don’t think we’ll last all night,” said owner Dawa Sangpo.
Also in the Public Market were Moroccan fans, many of whom frequented Mo’Rockin Fusion, a fast-casual restaurant where the food is inspired by owner Morad Bouzidi’s childhood in Morocco.
“It’s 100 percent the Moroccan experience,” Bouzidi said.
Yes, the World Cup is in Boston, but, like, not actually in Boston.
As was the case before last week’s game, South Station was packed, but some fans reported an easier commuting experience this time and Globe reporters observed a quick-moving queue.
“I had a pretty smooth experience,” said James Pennie, who is visiting from Vancouver but is originally from Scotland.
Near 3 p.m., as a final few fans jogged through the queue to enter South Station, MBTA employees yelled out encouragement.
“No Scotland, no party!” they said.
Richard Sullivan, the Transit Police superintendent, said the fans were “a very orderly crew.” The MBTA sold over 19,000 tickets to and from Foxborough as of 3 p.m. Friday.
“The queues were very minimal,” said Phil Eng, the MBTA’s general manager. “We got everyone through.”
But not everyone took the commuter rail. A Globe photographer witnessed a convoy of 12 school buses, packed to the brim with Scottish fans, pulling into South Bay to pick up online alcohol orders, before going on to Foxborough.
A duck ? Leading a parade? And what was that about Gronk?
Patriots legends Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman appeared on Fox’s pregame show wearing kilts, accompanied by a man playing bagpipes.
Edelman and Gronkowski applauded the Scots’ drinking prowess after they drank some Boston bars out of beer over the last week.
“The last time it happened was after we won the Super Bowl in 2015 against the Seattle Seahawks,” quipped Gronkowski.
And in Providence, a famous duck named Dawn led Scottish fans on a very orderly march. In a video shared on Dawn’s Tiktok page, the little creatures waddles forwards, a small Scottish flag on its back, while leagues of kilted men with bagpipes march behind it.
Jessica Rinaldi, Omar Mohammed, and Amin Touri of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Globe correspondents Ariela Lopez, Aayushi Datta, Lauren Albano, Audrey Tomlin, Jaden Perry, and Emily Spatz also contributed.
Truman Dickerson can be reached at truman.dickerson@globe.com.
Boston, MA
MBTA, state transportation chief apologizes for ‘insensitive’ employee hair-pulling incident
Gov. Maura Healey’s Transportation Secretary and MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng said he has apologized “fully” to the subordinate T employee he’s been accused of pulling the hair of at a work dinner two years ago.
Eng has come under fire for the late 2024 incident this week and admits that it was a “mistake” that has forced him to reflect upon his actions.
“My goal is always to lead with respect and inclusivity,” Eng said in a statement. “I know that this was a mistake, and I own that. I have apologized to this employee fully and have reflected on my actions.
“I am committed to learning from this experience and upholding the highest standards of professionalism in all my interactions as secretary and general manager,” Eng added.
The MBTA said the incident, first reported by Contrarian Boston, occurred in November 2024 at a restaurant where T employees and their spouses were having a team dinner.
WCVB-TV reported that the MBTA employee has told people the interaction with Eng was not welcome and highly inappropriate.
The station described Eng as being accused of committing the hair-pulling faux pas while saying good-bye to the T employee after a work function at a brewery.
The MBTA confirmed that an “insensitive” interaction occurred between Eng and an employee, but downplayed the incident as occurring in the context of a larger conversation about hair from earlier in the evening that included multiple people.
Eng was poking fun at his own baldness when the alleged interaction occurred, according to the MBTA.
“The MBTA is committed to fostering a respectful, inclusive workplace environment,” MBTA spokesperson Joe Pesaturo said in a statement. “Leadership plays a critical role in that. Two years ago, General Manager Eng had an insensitive interaction with one of his direct reports. He subsequently apologized directly to this employee.
“Any claims of harassment, discrimination or retaliatory behavior are completely without merit,” Pesaturo added.
Sources have told WCVB-TV that the T employee is involved in negotiations to leave their job with the agency.
Eng is the state’s top transportation official. Healey appointed him as general manager of the MBTA in 2023, and interim transportation secretary in late 2025.
He was paid $509,114 last year, which includes a $30,000 retention payment he is eligible for each year he remains with the T, per his contract and state payroll records. He does not get additional pay for working dual roles in Massachusetts, but continues to take in a roughly $185,000 pension from New York.
Eng, former president of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Long Island Rail Road, came out of retirement to work for the MBTA, but remains retired with the New York State and Local Employees’ Retirement System, which is paying him a gross monthly pension of $15,357.39, according to the New York State Comptroller’s office.
Eng, who stepped down from his MTA post in February 2022, retired from New York’s ERS the following month, March 31, 2022, the comptroller’s office said. His monthly pension equates to $184,288 in annual compensation, which he can continue to collect while working at the MBTA, where he is one of the highest-paid transit leaders in the country.
Eng has been credited by state officials for helping to get the MBTA back on track following a federal probe for a number of safety lapses that culminated with a fatality, when a 39-year-old man was dragged to death by a Red Line train in April 2022.
He is under contract with the T through April 10, 2028, with an option for a one-year extension. His base pay for 2026 is $484,206, per state payroll records.
By comparison, Eng was paid $285,254 in his final year leading the Long Island Rail Road, per the New York State Comptroller’s office.
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