YOUNGSTOWN (OH)
WKYC-TV, NBC - 3 [Cleveland OH]
December 3, 2025
By Tyler Carey
Ursuline High School and the Diocese of Youngstown have denied the school’s football team fosters a ‘culture of hazing’ in their response to a federal lawsuit.
Ursuline High School and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Youngstown have formally responded to a federal lawsuit alleging incidents of hazing and sexual abuse within the Fighting Irish football program, denying that there is a “culture of hazing” within the team and pushing back on claims of a coverup by coaches and administrators.
In the 216-page response filed Monday in Northern Ohio U.S. District Court addresses claims from the mother of a former Ursuline player who says her son was attacked multiple times and sexually abused by his teammates during an out-of-state football camp in June. She further alleges that at least Ursuline coach dismissed her concerns and that school leaders declined to adequately investigate the incidents, to the point of allowing the offending players to continue with the team.
The defendants’ attorneys have countered by saying neither head coach Dan Reardon nor assistants Timothy McGlynn and Christian Syrianoudis were aware of any alleged hazing until after the team returned home from the trip. Additionally, the response asserts that Principal Matthew Sammartino, Assistant Principal Margaret Damore, and athletic director John DeSantis all took adequate action when told of the claims by the alleged victim’s mother.
“Mr. Sammartino, Ms. Damore, and Mr. DeSantis timely opened an internal investigation, contacted child protective services in two separate counties, notified the Youngstown Police Department, issued reasonable and appropriate discipline against those football players who could be identified based on the internal investigation in accordance with Ursuline’s Student Handbook and Code of Conduct, and preserved and turned over evidence to the Youngstown Police Department pursuant to subpoenas,” the court filing reads. “These investigatory steps were not disclosed to the public or Jane Doe due to federal student privacy concerns.”
Cleveland-based civil rights attorney Subodh Chandra first filed the lawsuit back in September, and amended the complaint last month to reflect the claims of a second accuser and add DeSantis as a defendant. Sammartino and Damore had already been named as defendants in the complaint, as well as the previously mentioned football coaches.
Chandra has said Ursuline and diocesan officials were aware that hazing had been part of the football “culture” for years. On Monday, the diocese shot back by stating in no uncertain terms “the Diocese Defendants deny Ursuline has a culture of hazing.”
“Further answering, the Diocese Defendants deny that Ursuline turns a blind eye to victims,” the response continues. “Mr. Sammartino, Ms. Damore, and Mr. DeSantis conducted appropriate internal reviews and issued reasonable and appropriate discipline in line with Ursuline’s Student Handbook and Code of Conduct based on the circumstances of each incident.”
The defendants also addressed claims that coaches previously heard players discussing the hazing in open earshot on the bus, stating that coaches were spread out across the vehicle and that “players were eating, sleeping, playing on their phones, and talking with one another about the football camp trip. No audible threats or allegations were made.”
Finally, the response denied allegations that Reardon sought to blame Ursuline’s archrival, Cardinal Mooney High School, for spreading “manufactured” claims against the Fighting Irish. Chandra has said these remarks by Reardon help spur a number of threatening against Mooney that went unreported, something else Ursuline has denied by stating they indeed “reported the matter to the Youngstown Police Department.”
The school and diocese did acknowledge the existence of several videos purporting to show incidents of hazing among the team dating back to at least 2022. One such video, described by Chandra as a player holding a victim “face down on the bus floor while the player humped and ground his penis into the victim’s buttocks,” did show what the defendants admit was “two unidentified individuals, one on top of the other, fully clothed, engaged in a simulated sex act.” Another less graphic video, they stated, showed what appeared to be two players “playfully wrestling on a hotel room bed.”
The hazing complaint is one of four lawsuits made against Ursuline since September, with the majority involving the football program. The remaining filings involve allegations that a “star football player” harassed and assaulted a female student, claims that players bullied a male student because of his sexual orientation, and assertions that Damore and others failed to prevent a female student from being badly injured in a fight at the school. Besides the school and the diocese, Damore is the only person named as a defendant in all four lawsuits.
The court cases have since thrown Ursuline upside down, with the school canceling its 2025 football season after just two games while suspending Reardon and placing McGlynn and Syrianoudis on leave. However, Sammartino, Damore, and DeSantis remain on full duty.
When reached by 3News for comment Tuesday night, Ursuline and the diocese offered the following joint statement:
“The Diocese, Ursuline High School and Ursuline administration’s legal counsel have filed and will be filing responsive pleadings as part of the legal challenge to the Plaintiff’s Second Amended Complaint, filed on Nov. 10, 2025.
“Ursuline has stated repeatedly that the alleged conduct of some members of the football team on the 2025 Ursuline football camp trip violated Ursuline’s Student Handbook and Code of Conduct and were morally wrong.
“Bishop David Bonnar, the Diocese, Ursuline, and the Ursuline administration are working together to defend their legal positions. While we continue to honor the legal process and the privacy of all involved, our dedication to healing will continue to guide the response of Ursuline and the Church.
“The respective positions of the Diocese, Ursuline, and Ursuline administration are set forth in greater detail in those legal filings. As such, we have no further comments.
“In the meantime, Bishop Bonnar and Ursuline continue to pray for healing and unity, in the spirit of this Advent time of hope and faith.”
Chandra released the following statement to 3News
We are analyzing the Ursuline Defendants’, including the Diocese’s, answer to the complaint. While we expected Defendants to minimize and deny as they have done in their public statements and as is common, what’s disappointing is the extent to which they try to downplay the content of videos by, for example, recharacterizing misconduct as a “simulated sex act” and “playfully wrestling.” Once our review is complete, we will take the appropriate actions and look forward to our clients’ day in court.