OHIO
WYTV
It took the two former student-athletes at John F. Kennedy High School in Warren years to cope with trauma caused by their baseball coach, sports trainer and religion teacher who sexually abused them and nearly a dozen other students during the late 1980s.
It cost one his marriage and nearly cost the other his family. But the two men, who will not be identified because they are victims of sexual assault, said the culture surrounding religious institutions and authority figures led their parents to largely ignore their claims of abuse by the friar, Brother Stephen Baker, who taught at JFK from 1986-1991.
They, and nine others, reached a settlement with JFK, the Youngstown Diocese and T.O.R. Franciscans that totaled in the high-five figures for facing sexual abuse during their time at JFK. Criminal charges can only be filed in one case because the statute of limitations has passed in the 10 other cases.
Both men, who played baseball and football at JFK, said they treated the molestation at the time by joking with each other about Baker.
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