Pennsylvania high school football coaches accused of hiding hazing assault on player

Ten people connected to a Pennsylvania high school football team, including four coaches, are facing criminal charges after a 15-year-old player was allegedly assaulted twice in the locker room and coaches chose to keep the matter quiet, according to the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office.

A grand jury found that the sophomore at Cheltenham High School was attacked on Aug. 15, 2025, and again on Sept. 3, 2025, by teammates who allegedly restrained him while another player tried to poke him in the buttocks with a broomstick, prosecutors said. The victim told investigators the broomstick made contact over his shorts but did not penetrate. The first assault was recorded by two juvenile players and circulated among students and teammates for months before being deleted, according to the DA’s office.

During the second incident, witnesses told investigators that Isaiah Simpson, 18, kicked and stomped the victim, who curled up in his equipment to protect his head and groin as teammates struck him with cleats. No coaches were present for either assault, authorities said.

Volunteer coach Ralph Burnley, 60, drove the victim home after the Sept. 3 attack and learned the teen had been “jumped” and injured. Burnley then alerted head coach Terence Tolbert, 55, prosecutors said. Cellphone records show associate head coach Darian “DJ” McFadden, 42, and Tolbert subsequently told the victim not to tell his mother, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s account of the grand jury’s findings. Assistant coach Benjamin Johnson III, 45, allegedly joined in the decision to handle the matter internally rather than notify school administrators, out of concern it could jeopardize the team.

The victim’s mother learned of the assault four days later from a relative and took her son to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a contusion to his penis, according to prosecutors.

Simpson was charged with conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, simple assault and reckless endangerment, among other counts. Another player, Josiah Peeler, 18, was charged with false swearing for allegedly lying to investigators. Four other players facing charges are being prosecuted as juveniles and have not been publicly identified. The four coaches each face charges of endangering the welfare of a child and conspiracy to do so.

District Attorney Kevin Steele said at a news conference that “the assaults on this victim were not typical goofing around by teammates, or horseplay,” as some coaches had characterized it. 

School administrators learned of the alleged hazing through an anonymous reporting app, notified police and canceled the football team’s 2025 season that October. In May 2026, the district separately announced it would cancel the 2026 varsity and junior varsity seasons as well, according to the Inquirer.