6 Players, 4 Coaches Charged In Cheltenham Football Hazing Incidents

CHELTENHAM TOWNSHIP, PA — Four Cheltenham High School football coaches and six players have been charged in two locker room incidents where multiple players beat a sophomore player in August and September 2025, authorities said.

The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office announced the charges during a press conference on Wednesday following a lengthy investigation into the two hazing allegations among Cheltenham High School's football team.

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The charges stem from two alleged assaults that happened in the locker room and led to the eventual cancellation of two football seasons.

The four coaches—head coach Terence Tolbert, 55, of Elkins Park; associate head coach Darian "DJ" McFadden, 42, of Roslyn, Pa.; assistant coach Benjamin Johnson III, 45, of Cheltenham; and volunteer coach Ralph Burnley, 60, of Elkins Park — were each charged with Endangering the Welfare of a Child and conspiracy.

Two football players were charged: Isaiah Simpson, 18, of Cheltenham, for Conspiracy to Aggravated Assault, Simple Assault, Recklessly Endangering Another Person and related charges); and Josiah Peeler, 18, of Cheltenham, charged with false swearing.

Four other football players who were juveniles at the time face a variety of charges based on their conduct during the locker room incidents and afterwards, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele and Cheltenham Township Acting Police Chief Richard Schaffer said.

A grand jury interviewed over 25 witnesses and found out that there were two incidents instead of one initially reported: One on Aug.15, 2025, and one on Sept. 3, 2025.

On both occasions, multiple football players were in the locker room when a 15-year-old sophomore and member of the football team was assaulted.

The first incident on Aug. 15, 2025, was recorded by two juvenile football players, who shared the video with multiple players and other students during the fall semester, but later deleted it

The video showed several football players in the locker room restraining the juvenile victim while their teammate used a broomstick to poke at the victim's buttocks. The incident occurred as the players were changing following that day's practice.

The second locker room incident occurred on Sept. 3, 2025.

This incident reportedly occurred after the victim stole equipment from another player's locker, which prompted the coaching staff to make the team do additional running.

The grand jury found that the involved multiple players, including Simpson, kicked or stomped on the juvenile victim.

That incident also involved the use of a broomstick to poke at the victim's buttocks, authorities said.

No video of that incident was located.

When interviewed, the juvenile said that at the time of the assault, he was wearing shorts and football equipment, like cleats, and described this incident as being punched, kicked and stomped in the head and groin with cleats, forcing him to curl up to protect himself and his head.

The victim also said those assaulting him were trying to "poke him in the butt with a broomstick," and said the broomstick did not go "in" but made contact with his butt cheek over his shorts.

No coaches were present in the locker room during either incident, authorities said.

Instead, the four coaches who face criminal charges learned about the Sept. 3, 2025, incident when Burnley was giving the victim a ride home following the Sept. 3 practice.

In the car, the victim told Burnley that he had just been "jumped" by his teammates in the locker room following practice and had an injury to his genital area.

Burnley immediately texted the coaches group chat from the car.

Cellphone evidence shows that Burnley's call to Tolbert prompted subsequent communications among Tolbert, Burnley, Assistant Coach McFadden and Assistant Coach Johnson, including text messages and a group phone call with the juvenile victim, authorities said.

The victim testified that McFadden and Tolbert told him not to tell his mother about the incident because they would handle it.

The evidence showed the coaches discussed the incident, that the incident would put the football season in jeopardy and that they needed to address it within the team rather than outside of the team.

The coaches did not contact the boy's mother or tell school administrators at that time about the assault.

The victim's mother learned about the Sept. 3, 2025, assault a few days later from a family member who heard about it from other parents. She took her son to an urgent care facility on Sept. 8, 2025.

On Sept. 18, 2025, school administrators and district officials learned of the Sept. 3, 2025, incident through an anonymous report on the Safe2Say app. That report led Cheltenham administrators to file a ChildLine report and contact Cheltenham Police.

Cheltenham school administrators ultimately suspended the football season on Oct. 17, 2025, and cancelled the season on Oct. 19, 2025, citing allegations of hazing.

Schools Superintendent Brian W. Scriven also canceled the varsity and junior high school football programs have been suspended for this year.

Montgomery County Detectives and Cheltenham Police have informed the six adults and four juveniles that they are being criminally charged.

Arrangements are being made for the adults to turn themselves into police for arrest, at which time they will be arraigned and bail will be set. The juveniles will be processed according to the rules of the Juvenile Act.