High School Football Team Cancels Season Due to Sexual Battery Investigation

A high school football team in California has canceled the rest of its season due to four players being cited by police for a sexual battery investigation. A fellow teammate reported he was assaulted on campus.

“The altercation involved four students that assaulted a fellow student after school,” reads an Oct. 1 statement from the Gilroy Police Department per NBC News. “The incident was investigated by the assigned School Resource Officer who worked closely with school officials.”

According to police, all the students are minors from Gilroy High School, which is 70 miles south of San Francisco. The Gilroy Unified School District said on Wednesday that “most of the varsity players have chosen not to finish the season and therefore, at this time, the season will not continue.”

“The investigation into allegations made against members of the Gilroy High School varsity football team last week is still in progress,” school district officials said Wednesday per the San Francisco Chronicle.

The team had a game on Friday, but the five players involved were not there. The alleged assault happened last week in the team’s locker room and there has been no confirmation of what took place. But whatever happened caused one player to notify school administration and they notified the police. According to NBC Bay Area, the California district took action on the four players, but it is not known if they have been suspended. Gilroy was scheduled to face Palma on Friday and the school confirmed the game has been canceled.

“We investigated the allegations and determined there was evidence to support a criminal complaint,” Gilroy police Capt. Joseph Deras said Wednesday via the Mercury News. “The aggravating circumstance was the number of suspects involved, and the use of force or fear played a role in our arresting decision.”

Gilroy was not having its best season. The team finishes the year with a 0-4 record and 0-1 in league play. Last year was also not a strong season for Gilroy, finishing the season with a 1-9 record and with their only win coming in the second week of the year.

Gilroy is known for having good athletes. One of the most notable football players to graduate from the school is Jeff Garcia who played in the NFL from 1999-2011. Garcia was named to the Pro Bowl four times and he once threw a 99-yard touchdown pass.