Ten members of the Cheltenham High School football team in Pennsylvania, including four coaches, have been charged in a severe hazing incident that led to the cancellation of the team's season. The alleged assaults occurred in the team's locker room during two separate incidents in 2025, according to the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors stated that the first incident, on August 15, 2025, was recorded by two juvenile players and later shared with teammates. Footage from this incident reportedly showed several players holding down a 15-year-old teammate while another used a broomstick to prod his buttocks. A second, more violent incident occurred on September 3, 2025. Multiple witnesses reported seeing several players, including 18-year-old Isaiah Simpson, kicking and stomping on the victim.
The victim told investigators that he was wearing football equipment and curled into a ball to protect himself while being punched, kicked, and stomped in the head and groin with cleats. He also stated that players attempted to prod him with a broomstick, which made contact with his buttocks over his shorts.
Although no coaches were present during the initial locker room assault, four coaches were informed of the second incident shortly after it transpired. Volunteer coach Ralph Burnley reportedly learned about the victim's injuries, including trauma to his genital area, while giving him a ride home. Burnley then contacted head coach Terence Tolbert. Subsequent text messages and a group phone call involving assistant head coach Darian McFadden and Tolbert allegedly included instructions for the victim not to inform his mother about the incident. Assistant coach Benjamin Johnson III was also involved in the discussions. The coaches collectively decided to address the matter internally with the team rather than notify the boy’s mother or the school, fearing repercussions for the team.
All four coaches face charges of endangering the welfare of a child and conspiracy to endanger the welfare of a child. Simpson faces additional charges including conspiracy to aggravated assault, simple assault, and recklessly endangering another person. Josiah Peeler was charged with false swearing. The remaining four players involved were juveniles at the time of the incidents and face various charges, with their identities not publicly disclosed due to their age.
Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele characterized the assaults as criminal acts, stating, "These assaults on a football player were not the typical goofing around by teammates. These were crimes."
The victim's mother eventually learned of the second attack from a family member a few days after it occurred. After discovering the incident, she took her son to urgent care, where he was diagnosed with a contusion to his penis.
Cheltenham administrators were alerted to the alleged hazing through an anonymous reporting app, prompting them to contact the police. In response to the allegations, school administrators suspended the football team’s season on October 17, 2025, and subsequently canceled it. Witnesses, some initially reluctant, provided testimony to a grand jury about the events in the locker room and the coaches' actions afterward. The grand jury recommended charges against the players and coaches involved.