Ursuline High School in Youngstown, Ohio, has canceled the remainder of its football season following serious allegations of player misconduct and subsequent staff changes, according to a letter sent to parents and students.
As reported by cleveland.com, the decision comes after an Ohio family filed a lawsuit against the school, the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown, school administrators and coaches, alleging multiple players assaulted their son during a nine-day football trip in June.
When the mother reported the abuse to coaches, she claims she was told, “boys will be boys,” the 200-page complaint alleges, according to cleveland.com.
The lawsuit alleges the hazing, including sexual assault, was recorded shared it on Snapchat.
Ursuline head coach Dan Reardon agreed to an indeterminate suspension pending investigation outcomes. A new interim coach was named last week.
Assistant coaches Tim McGlynn and Christian Syrianoudis were placed on leave for the remainder of the season.
“Disciplinary actions were taken against some students” and others had left the program or school “before discipline could be imposed,” according to school officials.
“At the same time, we had hoped to continue our season, with dozens of student-athletes, band members, cheerleaders, and other students, along with coaches, parents and others who are not alleged to be involved at all,” the letter from school officials reads. “They simply wanted to play a sport they love, engage in fulfilling achievements, or support their loved ones. It became increasingly clear, however, the season could not continue, and therefore, this difficult decision had to be made.
“We also are determined to overcome these challenges and restore faith in our school. As we have for many years, we will continue to offer our efforts and support for the many other student accomplishments in the classroom and our substantial roster of rewarding student activities and service opportunities in our school.”
St. Vincent-St. Mary High School announced Thursday that their junior varsity and varsity football teams would not participate in games against Ursuline on Oct. 3 and 4, citing “recent allegations involving the Ursuline football program,” cleveland.com reported.
