CALIFORNIA
NBC Bay Area
[with video]
By Lisa Fernandez and Jodi Hernandez
Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013
The head football coach of a Catholic high school in Vallejo sued the Sacramento Diocese on Wednesday claiming he was unfairly fired after he reported sexual abuse in a hazing scandal.
Chris Cerbone, who had been the coach at St. Vincent-St. Patrick High School for six months, said he was told by freshmen players that varsity players were involved in serious hazing and sexual misconduct.
Specifics in the lawsuit refer to the varsity players “punking” the freshmen, which included assaulting them with their genitalia.
In December, Cerbone reported that abuse to Child Protective Services and filed a report with the school’s principal. He and some other coaches were put on leave, and then he was fired at the end of January. The school is part of the Sacramento Archdiocese, and the lawsuit was filed in Sacramento County.
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