Former La Salle football coach Nate Moore on leave at Massillon during hazing probe
MASSILLON – Tigers head football coach Nate Moore has been placed on administrative leave amid an investigation into alleged misconduct by football players.
Superintendent Paul Salvino on Tuesday confirmed Moore was placed on leave with pay on July 13 as both football coach and the district's athletic director.
The former La Salle High School coach remains on administrative leave pending the outcome of the school's investigation into multiple student-related incidents, some of which Salvino likened to horseplay. District leaders are also probing the supervision of the players when the alleged incidents occurred on school property.
"We are really looking to that unsupervised time period," Salvino said. "This is an effort to allow us to investigate things on our end. We are going to have a lot more conversations the rest of the week with coaches."
Salvino said no other coaching staff members were placed on leave or reprimanded. Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Jarrett Troxler has taken the lead in Moore's absence, he added.
Moore declined to comment.
Another separate incident is being investigated by the Massillon Police Department. Massillon administrators asked police to step in regarding one allegation that is more serious and could rise to the level of criminal charges.
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Concerned parents of a football player contacted the administration on June 26 after their son told them about several incidents, Salvino said. It is not known if the student is a victim or witnessed some acts. Salvino declined to comment about what happened during that incident.
Report on Massillon football incident alleges hazing
According to a redacted incident report from the Massillon Police Department, authorities were notified June 27 about the incident that police categorized as hazing, a fourth-degree misdemeanor.
The report said it involved one victim and that the district administration reported hazing to the officer. The report did not indicate what took place.
The Independent requested public records regarding the incident, including any and all investigative reports, incident reports, witness statements and any videos obtained during the investigation.
Samantha Walters, the city's records administrator, provided the redacted report "because it was an active investigation and no charges have been filed." She cited Ohio Revised Code regarding confidential law enforcement investigatory records.
Salvino has not had an update on the police investigation.
The team continues to participate in preseason activities, including camp days as well as workouts that include conditioning and strength training. When the allegations arose, football operations were halted while the administration began looking into the matter.
The official football season begins July 31.
Reach Amy at 330-775-1135 or amy.knapp@indeonline.com.
On Twitter: @aknappINDE
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Massillon football coach Nate Moore on leave during hazing probe
