Ursuline cancels highschool soccer sport, points assertion amid hazing lawsuit. The most recent – Akron Beacon Journal

Ursuline Excessive Faculty in Youngstown has canceled its highschool soccer sport for Friday, Sept. 5, amid a federal lawsuit accusing the team of hazing and creating child pornography.
Ursuline’s opponent, Farrell Excessive Faculty in Pennsylvania, posted on Facebook that they have been notified of the sport’s cancellation on Thursday, Sept. 4.
In the meantime, Ursuline has launched a press release “to spotlight the steps we have taken in regard to the allegations in regards to the soccer program,” WFMJ TV-21 in Youngstown reports.
The federal lawsuit, filed by the household of an Ursuline participant, alleges hazing, bodily and sexual assault, and the creation and dissemination of kid pornography throughout a soccer camp journey in June. It names Ursuline soccer coaches, directors and households of soccer gamers in addition to the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown.
Ursuline is scheduled to play two Akron-area faculties this season, together with an Oct. 3 go to to St. Vincent-St. Mary and a house sport Oct. 10 towards Walsh Jesuit.
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In accordance with Ursuline’s assertion, as soon as the household made a proper grievance, college administration “well timed opened an investigation,” making Diocesan and native authorities conscious of the allegations. Ursuline took disciplinary motion towards some “most instantly concerned” within the incident. Different college students concerned left the staff or the college earlier than self-discipline could possibly be imposed.
“Each Ursuline and the Diocese of Youngstown proceed to cooperate totally with the authorities’ investigation, which is ongoing. Each out of concern for the identification of minors and on the request of the police, Ursuline has not mentioned the allegations in public,” the assertion reads.
Ursuline has elevated the presence of chaparones and began obligatory coaching opinions “to additional shield scholar security.”
In accordance with the grievance, filed in U.S. District Court docket for the Northern District of Ohio by the Chandra Law Firm, a bunch of Ursuline soccer gamers is alleged to have violently assaulted the plaintiff household’s minor son (recognized within the lawsuit below the pseudonym “Son King”) throughout the journey to Florida, Alabama and Tennessee from June 12 to twenty, 2025.
The gamers allegedly held Son King down, stripped him and humiliated him. One participant is alleged to have sexually assaulted the boy, whereas different gamers recorded the misconduct and posted it to the staff’s group Snapchat. The movies have been later transmitted to different Ursuline college students and probably past.
The lawsuit claims that the coaches have been conscious of misconduct earlier than, throughout and after the journey, however did not take applicable motion to deal with it. The hazing and assaults allegedly occurred day by day throughout the nine-day journey and concerned a minimum of 25 gamers, together with 12 assailants, and a number of witnesses and victims, per the grievance.
In accordance with the lawsuit, assistant coach Timothy McGlynn downplayed the incident as “simply boys being boys” to Son King’s mom, recognized within the lawsuit as “Mom King.” The swimsuit additionally claims that Ursuline Principal Matthew Sammartino and Assistant Principal Margaret Damore tried to cowl up the incident by deleting posts from Ursuline Excessive Faculty’s Fb account and different soccer social media accounts. Additionally they allegedly instructed gamers to not say something about what occurred and issued statements that the assault was an “remoted incident” involving a “restricted quantity” of gamers.
The lawsuit claims the college did not carry out an investigation or take significant disciplinary motion towards the gamers and coaches, and that the hazing and abuse have been happening for a number of years. Additional, the grievance alleges the attitudes displayed present a tradition of excusing legal misconduct within the identify of soccer.
The lawsuit additionally claims that head soccer coach Daniel Reardon beforehand resigned from Ursuline in 2011 below a “cloud of negativity” on account of his recruitment of gamers who mirrored poorly on the college and his tendency to “flip a blind eye” to their misconduct. He was rehired in 2019 regardless of a Diocesan advice towards it on account of an alleged historical past of dishonesty and the negativity that adopted him.
McGlynn, an assistant coach, is alleged to have resigned from his place as head soccer coach at Champion Excessive Faculty (Warren, Ohio) in October 2020 amid allegations of bodily abuse and threats towards gamers, the lawsuit claims.

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