News of female athletes, especially high school athletes, being sexually abused by a team coach or trainer is common. Many men use their positions as coaches or trainers to force young women to submit to sexual entreaties. A variation on this theme has now been reported in a high school in a suburb east of Los Angeles. Six members of the high school football team have alleged that the team’s female trainer—who is also the coach’s daughter—sexually abused them at various times during their high school careers.
The allegations
One of the first allegations of abuse to emerge from the football program was made by a player who had just been promoted to the starting line-up. The player, who was 16 at the time of the incident, said that he was waiting in the training room for treatment of a leg injury. The trainer began to massage his injured leg and then began to fondle his genitals.
The lawsuit
Six form Colton High players have commenced a lawsuit for damages causes by the trainer’s sexual abuse against Colton High School and the Colton Unified Joint School District (CUJSD). Court filings allege that both organizations were aware of the trainer’s unlawful conduct and failed to take any action to stop it.
The complaint describes how the female trainer frequently had sexual intercourse and performed oral sex on several players between the ages of 14 and 17. One player alleged that the trainer had sex with him on at least 50 occasions during his senior year. The complaint alleges that the trainer routinely had sexual intercourse and performed oral sex in the locker room, training room, bathrooms, weight room, football trailer, and the coach’s home.
Solid legal advice
One of the biggest difficulties that the plaintiffs face is the common stereotype that no harm is done when a female coerces a male into having sex. Many of the plaintiffs allege that they have suffered significant emotional harm and that years after being abused by the trainer, they have problems with authority, trust, sex and intimacy. Many of the plaintiffs who were abuse victims are seeking psychological counseling.
The plaintiffs in the case deny that the case is about sex; instead, it’s about control, power and betrayal. Anyone who has suffered sexual abuse or has a loved one who has suffered similar abuse may wish to consult an attorney with experience in representing other persons who have had similar experiences.