Ten people connected to Cheltenham High School’s football program are facing criminal charges after a grand jury investigation into two locker room assaults on a 15-year-old teammate last year.
Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele announced the charges against four coaches and six players on Wednesday, following months of testimony from students who witnessed what happened inside the Wyncote, Pennsylvania school.
Two Attacks Detailed in Grand Jury Findings
According to prosecutors, a 15-year-old sophomore football player told volunteer coach Ralph Burnley that he had been jumped by his teammates in the locker room.
Investigators say the assaults happened during two separate incidents, one on August 15 and another on September 3, 2025. During the second attack, Isaiah Simpson allegedly kicked and stomped the victim, who curled up in his equipment to try to protect his head and groin.
Prosecutors said the victim was held down while other players poked him with a broomstick, with some teammates chanting for the assault to continue. About 19 students who witnessed the incident did not attempt to stop it.
The first assault was recorded by two juvenile players, and the video circulated among students for months before it was deleted.
Simpson, 18, faces charges including aggravated assault, while fellow player Josiah Peeler was charged with lying to investigators. Four other players facing charges are minors and have not been publicly named.
Coaches Accused of Covering Up Incidents
The four coaches charged include former head coach Terence Tolbert, associate head coach Darian McFadden, assistant coach Benjamin Johnson III, and Burnley. Each faces counts of endangering the welfare of a child and conspiracy.
Investigators allege that after the teen reported the abuse, McFadden and Tolbert told him not to tell his mother because they would handle the situation themselves, and did not immediately notify school administrators. The boy’s mother learned what happened four days later from a friend and took her son to a doctor for his injuries.
Steele pushed back on suggestions from some coaches that the incidents amounted to typical teenage horseplay. He told reporters at a news conference that the acts committed against the teenager were crimes, not games.
He also noted that many witnesses were reluctant to cooperate with the investigation, which slowed the process significantly.
The school district canceled the remainder of the 2025 season once administrators learned of the assaults, and in May the district announced the entire football program would remain suspended through the 2026 season while reforms are put in place.
