A high school football coach in Winnipeg, Man., is being investigated amid allegations of hazing within the Grant Park Pirates' program.
Manitoba’s independent teacher commissioner is heading the investigation into Doug Kovacs, the Pirates' head coach.
Student-athletes who played for Kovacs during the 2025-26 school year allege blood was drawn while carrying out a locker room ritual.
Multiple sources confirmed to The Free Press that Kovacs was put on leave from Grant Park High School in the spring in response to a complaint about his coaching style.
“There’s a lot of different red flags here,” one parent told the Press of a football player who was recently contacted about the case by the office of commissioner Noni Classen.
The parent cited concerns including “super, super disturbing” videos of player-on-player violence they’ve viewed. The parent spoke on the condition of anonymity.
One video, described by the parent, shows a teenage boy getting beaten up until his face was bloodied.
Other footage depicted a different student struggling to breathe as he was “choked out” by teammates, they said.
The Winnipeg School Division said it "immediately put an employee on leave" when it was made aware of the situation.
Sources familiar with Kovacs’ coaching style described him as an aggressive coach who openly uses profanities during games.
“He’s known for saying the words, ‘Boys will be boys,’” a former colleague said. “And in 2026, those lines don’t work anymore.”
