Attorney: Oklahoma coach didn’t know of alleged assault

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — An attorney for a suspended Oklahoma City high school football coach says his client knew nothing about the alleged assault of a teenage boy by four other players in a locker room.

The Oklahoman reports Corey Russell was placed on leave following the Sept. 28 attack at Putnam City West High School.

A campus police report alleges three students held the boy while a fourth penetrated him with a broom handle. Attorney Joe White says Russell wasn’t in the locker room when it happened.

The teens claimed it’s a team tradition. Criminal charges are being considered.

White says Russell took over the football program last year and “would never tolerate this.”

A 2017 Associated Press investigation examining sexual violence among students found teammate-on-teammate assaults occurred in all types of sports.

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Information from: The Oklahoman, http://www.newsok.com