Maine high school football team ends season amid hazing allegation

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Local

By Associated Press

October 7, 2021 | 5:24 p.m.

BRUNSWICK, Maine (AP) The Brunswick High School football team’s season has been called off and its coach fired following a hazing investigation that revealed serious misconduct during a retirement from one night shift, the school department said.

The Brunswick School Department said in a letter to the community on Wednesday that longtime college coach Daniel Cooper has been fired. School officials said they could not field a varsity team safely given the withdrawal of players from the team, injuries and other factors.

The school department lawyer had investigated allegations that a sex toy was put into a boy’s mouth as team members held him during a preparatory retreat at Thomas Point Beach in Brunswick , reported the Portland Press Herald.

A heavily redacted copy of a report detailing the investigation said videos of the alleged hazing circulated around the school, the newspaper said.

The investigation revealed serious misconduct that was not in line with our policies and expectations, wrote Superintendent Phil Potenziano in an email to the newspaper.

Cooper had been put on leave with assistant coach Greg Nadeau. It is not known if Nadeau will face further sanctions.

I’m not ready to say a lot just yet. The wound is still fresh and it hurts, Cooper told the newspaper in a text.

The Brunswick Police Department is conducting its own investigation and will review the videos.

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