Woburn Football Players Accused Of Locker Room Assault

WOBURN, MA — Five football players at Woburn Memorial High School have been charged with assaulting a teammate in a locker room last September. Two other Woburn students were also charged with assaulting the same freshman in October and November, the Boston Globe reports.

According to the Globe, Johnathan Coucelos was 14 at the time of the attacks.

A clerk magistrate in Lowell Juvenile Court issued delinquency complaints of assault and battery against all seven students, said Peter Hahn, Coucelos' attorney. One of the football players faces an additional count of indecent assault and battery for allegedly touching Coucelos' genitals in the locker room incident.

Coucelos and his family say they want to bring their case to the public because they feel the school system and coaching staff had not taken the incident seriously. They told the Globe no charges have been brought against the students they claimed harmed him, and no responsibility had been taken by the Woburn coaching staff or school administrators for nearly three months after the locker room incident.

Coucelos told the Globe that he and his parents have suffered emotionally, and transferred to the Cambridge Matignon School because he no longer felt safe at the Woburn school.

Coucelos' parents told Woburn's city solicitor they are planning to sue the city and school department for $750,000.

Woburn School Superintendent Matt Crowley told the Globe that the district has retained outside counsel to conduct a Title IX investigation of the incident and that a second outside firm will complete a "thorough administrative review and policy analysis" of issues from the allegations.

The Globe said head football coach Jack Belcher and his staff, and principal Jessica Callanan have not commented on the allegations, but Callanan says she will step down in July.

Patch reached out to Woburn police and will update when we hear back.

All seven students are awaiting arraignment.

For the full story, read the Boston Globe.