YOUNGSTOWN (OH)
Akron Beacon Journal [Akron OH]
September 3, 2025
By Chad Murphy
Lawsuit names Ursuline High School football coaches, players and administrators, as well as the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown
- A family on Sept. 2 filed a federal lawsuit against football coaches, administrators and families of football players at Ursuline High School of Youngstown, Ohio.
- Alleged hazing, physical and sexual abuse and the dissemination of child pornography occurred during a nine-day team trip in June 2025.
Allegations of hazing, physical and sexual assault, and the creation and dissemination of child pornography against an Ohio high school football team have resulted in a federal lawsuit against Ursuline High School.
A family on Sept. 2 filed a federal lawsuit against football coaches, administrators and families of football players at the Youngstown, Ohio, high school. The suit also names the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown.
The suit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, alleges the incidents took place during a nine-day football camp trip to Florida, Alabama and Tennessee, from June 12 to 20, 2025, according to the Chandra Law Firm. It goes on to claim that the coaches were aware of misconduct before, during and after the trip, but failed to take appropriate action to address it.
“This case is about accountability,” Subodh Chandra, the plaintiffs’ lead counsel, said in a statement posted by the Chandra Law Firm LLC. “No family should have to endure the trauma this family suffered at the hands of other students and then at the hands of school officials who, the suit alleges, made excuses, ignored, and even tried to cover up what happened.”
This publication contacted Ursuline High School seeking comment from the school, which had not yet responded at the time this story was published.
Ursuline is scheduled to play two Akron-area schools this season, including an Oct. 3 visit to St. Vincent-St. Mary and a home game Oct. 10 against Walsh Jesuit.
Here’s a look at the allegations in the lawsuit.
Lawsuit alleges hazing attacks on son; coaches and administrators downplay events
According to the complaint, a group of Ursuline football players is alleged to have violently assaulted the plaintiff family’s minor son (identified in the lawsuit under the pseudonym “Son King”) during the trip. The players allegedly held Son King down, stripped him and humiliated him. One player is alleged to have sexually assaulted the boy, while other players recorded the misconduct and posted it to the team’s group Snapchat. The videos were later transmitted to other Ursuline students and possibly beyond.
The hazing and attacks allegedly occurred daily during the nine-day trip and involved at least 25 players, including 12 assailants, and multiple witnesses and victims, per the complaint.
According to the lawsuit, assistant coach Timothy McGlynn downplayed the incident as “just boys being boys” to Son King’s mother, identified in the lawsuit as “Mother King.” The suit also claims that Ursuline Principal Matthew Sammartino and Assistant Principal Margaret Damore tried to cover up the incident by deleting posts from Ursuline High School’s Facebook account and other football social media accounts. They also allegedly instructed players not to say anything about what happened and issued statements that the attack was an “isolated incident” involving a “limited number” of players.
The lawsuit claims the school failed to perform an investigation or take meaningful disciplinary action against the players and coaches, and that the hazing and abuse have been going on for several years. Further, the complaint alleges the attitudes displayed show a culture of excusing criminal misconduct in the name of football.
Head football coach previously resigned from Ursuline under ‘cloud of negativity,’ lawsuit claims
The lawsuit also claims that head football coach Daniel Reardon previously resigned from Ursuline in 2011 under a “cloud of negativity” due to his recruitment of players who reflected poorly on the school and his tendency to “turn a blind eye” to their misconduct. He was rehired in 2019 despite a Diocesan recommendation against it due to an alleged history of dishonesty and the negativity that followed him.
McGlynn, an assistant coach, is alleged to have resigned from his position as head football coach at Champion High School (Warren, Ohio) in October 2020 amid allegations of physical abuse and threats against players, the lawsuit claims.