SANTA MARGARITA (CA)
The Mirror US [London, UK]
November 1, 2024
By Joseph McBride, US Sports Reporter
Santa Margarita Catholic High School’s football program is being sued by a former player after he needed hospital attention following an alleged assault by a group of teammates
A football player at Santa Margarita Catholic High School in California has sued the football program after alleging he was assaulted by teammates on Sept. 24.
The 16-year-old student, who was 15 at the time, alleges he was attacked by teammates while he was in the school’s locker room getting ready for team practice. The case claims that the student was held on the ground by teammates who took turns assaulting the boy, and it resulted in his mother taking him to the emergency room.
The allegations have led to an investigation by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, but criminal charges aren’t yet being pursued as his parents are looking to resolve the incident with the school. The student is being represented by Brian Williams with Greenberg Gross LLP.
“They cut the lights, several teammates then pinned him down and held him, restrained him, and then he was assaulted,” Williams said. “My client, just like the other day, went into that locker room to change, to get ready for practice, and he was unfortunately ambushed by a large group of teammates.
The lawsuit also states that the student was subject to violent acts of a sexual nature. “This is not normal,” Williams added. “No child on any team, male, female, any sport, should walk into a locker room and be ambushed and then restrained down and have their private parts or any part of their body assaulted. This shouldn’t occur.”
After the alleged assault, the student claimed to have called for assistance but was shut down by one of his teammates. The lawsuit states that his teammate said: “This is football, you knew what you were signing up for.”
In response to the claims, Williams said: “I absolutely do not agree. This is not football. This is not any sport. This is not random horse play. This is a tragic event that no kid should be subjected to.”
The lawsuit alleges at least eight other student athletes at the high school have also been assaulted by teammates.
Both the SMCHS and the Roman Catholic Bishop of Orange have been targeted in the lawsuit filed by the student and his mother. The lawsuit alleges negligence, negligent failure to warn, train, or educate, and emotional distress.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Santa Margarita Catholic High School President J. Andrew Sulick told families of those involved in the football program that “no evidence of sexual assault” was found in the Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s investigation into the incident and said the school conducted an investigation of its own, as well as hiring a third-party law firm to conduct an additional review.
He wrote: “These measures reflect a responsible and proactive approach that our campus community is taking as the investigation continues.”
A spokesperson for the Diocese of Orange, Bradley Zint, told the Los Angeles Times: “Diocese of Orange and Santa Margarita Catholic High School take these allegations seriously and are committed to addressing them thoroughly and transparently.”
OCSD Sergeant Frank Gonzalez said that they were contacted on Sept. 24 by Hoag Hospital in Irvine, reporting that a juvenile was sexually assaulted by teammates at SMCHS. Gonzalez confirmed that 15 people have been interviewed in connection with the allegations.