Fowlerville (Mich.) Community Schools has reopened an investigation into allegations of misconduct involving the high school’s varsity wrestling program.
As reported by NBC affiliate WDIV in Detroit, the allegations were first reported in January, prompting an initial review, but after receiving additional information from WDIV's investigation, the district reopened its own probe.
A Livingston County mother said her now 15-year-old son left the Fowlerville High School wrestling team after he reported being urinated on in the locker room showers.
She said the accused student kept competing, school administrators promised changes that never materialized, and she’s still waiting for accountability four months after the incident.
“Please understand this situation does not represent the vast majority of our outstanding student-athletes who compete with integrity, sportsmanship, and honor,” superintendent Matt Stuard said in a statement.
The district said it remains committed to providing a safe and supportive educational environment while maintaining transparency with families and the broader school community.
“Fowlerville Community Schools takes student safety and student conduct seriously. When situations involving student conduct arise, the District reviews them through appropriate administrative and athletic channels, involves relevant personnel, considers law enforcement involvement when appropriate, and responds in accordance with the student handbook, athletic handbook, board policy, and District procedures," Stuard said.
"Because these matters involve students, the District is limited by federal and state privacy laws and cannot comment on specific allegations, student records, discipline, or personnel matters. The District remains committed to maintaining a safe and respectful school environment and to responding promptly and appropriately when concerns arise.”
The boy’s mother, who is choosing to remain anonymous for her son’s safety, said her son feels he had no choice but to walk away from the team.
The mother told WDIV Local 4 Investigator Erika Erickson that her son seemed fine until the afternoon of Jan. 2, 2026, during the wrestling season at Fowlerville High School.
She said after practice that day, her son got into the car and didn’t hesitate: “He got in the car and just blurted it out and said, ‘I don’t want to do wrestling anymore,’ ” she said.
She said she asked why he would suddenly want to quit a sport he loved. “People were peeing on my face in the shower,” he told her, according to the mother.
The mother said the urine got into her son’s mouth. She said she later filed a police report “to have it on record,” WDIV reported.
She said her son told her he didn’t immediately understand what had happened, only that, according to the report, “he heard everyone was laughing so he turned to see what it was about and ‘other people that were in the shower told him that another boy just peed on him.’ ”
Before going to the police, she said she reached out to the coach, Dan Coon, expecting immediate action. “He did say there was going to be follow-up conversations and consequences for these young men,” she said, adding that the coach later followed up, showing compassion and stating that an investigation would be conducted, WDIV reported.
The mother said Coon told her that athletic director Jeff Finney would be reaching out, which she says he did. “[Finney] told my son that there was going to be some changes with the structure of wrestling practices and showers,” she said.
When asked by Erickson if changes were made, the mother said, “No. I did not see changes. And they continued to wrestle.”
The alleged perpetrator's season continued uninterrupted. "He got to finish his season winning medals and awards as if nothing had happened,” the mother told Erickson.
“If that was my son doing that to someone else, I would’ve pulled him myself from the team and said you can’t continue,” she said.
The mother said she hadn’t heard anything from the athletic director since January and that she was only able to express her concerns during a conference call with the vice principal and principal of Fowlerville High School, but she said nothing was done.
“I definitely feel like they’re trying to cover it up,” she said.
On Jan. 8, Coon, who had coached for roughly 37 years and had been inducted into the Michigan Wrestling Association Hall of Fame, suddenly left the team the same day the mother said he had talked to her son.
“I got a notification on my phone that, effective immediately, the coach was no longer employed through the school,” the mother said.
The former coach told WDIV that while he’s walking away from Fowlerville wrestling, he isn’t walking away from wrestling completely, confirming that the hazing incident played a role in his decision to resign.
Though encouraged by Coon to continue wrestling, the boy ultimately left the team a few days later, as well.
