Head coach Terence Tolbert, 55, associate head coach Darian “DJ” McFadden, 42, assistant coach Benjamin Johnson III, 45, volunteer coach Ralph Burnley, and six players from Cheltenham High School in Pennsylvania are facing criminal charges. 

The charges were announced on July 29 by Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele and Cheltenham Township Acting Police Chief Richard Schaffer. Among those charged are Isaiah Simpson and Josiah Peeler, both 18 years old at the time of the alleged incidents and during their grand jury testimony.

The charges stem from two separate locker room incidents on August 15 and September 3, 2025, in which multiple players allegedly assaulted a 15-year-old sophomore who was also a member of the football team. 

According to the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, all four coaches have been charged with endangering the welfare of a child and conspiracy to endanger the welfare of a child. Simpson faces charges including conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, simple assault, and recklessly endangering another person, and additional offenses.

Peeler has been charged with false swearing. Four other players, who were juveniles at the time of the alleged assaults, also face a range of charges based on their alleged conduct. 

Although only the September 3 incident was initially reported, a grand jury investigation later determined that two separate assaults had occurred.

Authorities said one of the accused juveniles, along with another football player, recorded the August 15 incident. The juvenile, identified in the District Attorney’s announcement as Juvenile 4, allegedly shared the video with teammates and other students before it was later deleted. 

According to authorities, the footage showed the victim being restrained by several football players, including Juvenile 2, while Juvenile 1 used a broom to prod the victim’s buttocks.

The second incident reportedly occurred after the victim stole equipment from another player’s locker. Grand jury testimony from multiple witnesses stated that several football players, including Simpson, punched, kicked, and stomped on the victim.

Juvenile 1 again used a broom to poke the victim’s buttocks. The victim testified that players stomped on his head and groin while wearing cleats and that the broomstick made contact with his buttock over his shorts.

According to the grand jury, the coaches first learned of the September 3 assault when volunteer coach Burnley drove the victim home. The victim said he had been “jumped” by his teammates and had suffered injuries to his genital area.

Internal communications among the coaches included text message chains and a group call during which the victim was allegedly told not to tell his mother about the assault.

Prosecutors allege the coaches failed to report the allegations to the school administration or the victim’s mother because they believed the matter should be handled internally and feared it could jeopardize the football season. The victim testified that Tolbert and McFadden assured him they would investigate what had happened.

The victim’s mother learned of the alleged assault several days later and took him to an urgent care facility, where he was diagnosed with a contusion to his penis. School administration became aware of the allegations on September 18 through the anonymous reporting app Safe2Say. A ChildLine report was filed, Cheltenham Police was notified, and the football season was canceled on October 19, 2025.

According to the New York Post, arrangements are being made for the coaches and players charged in the case to surrender to police. 

Disclaimer: Inquisitr could not independently confirm the facts of this incident and is reporting based on the information available.