Ohio State fires 2 assistant coaches accused of sexually harassing cheerleaders
11/16/2013
Ohio State cheerleaders perform during a September game against UCF in Columbus.
COLUMBUS — Ohio State University says it fired two assistant cheerleading coaches after they were accused of sexually harassing cheerleaders.
The school says an investigation led to the firings last May.
The Columbus Dispatch reports cheerleaders told investigators that one of the coaches made sexual jokes and sometimes inappropriately touched the male cheerleaders. The other coach was accused of making inappropriate remarks to the female cheerleaders.
The newspaper says the two coaches said they were just playing around and that sexual jokes were common on the team.
A school spokesman says Ohio State has no tolerance for the coaches’ behavior.
As part of the investigation, Ohio State required its head cheerleading coach to attend sexual-harassment training after she failed to report initial complaints about the assistant coaches.