Two state agencies have launched investigations into allegations of hazing, bullying and abuse in the Kingfisher High School football program, which were made by a former player and his parents in a federal lawsuit against the school district and coaches.

In an amended petition filed Jan. 12 by Oklahoma City attorney Cameron Spradling, the lawsuit includes graphic descriptions of alleged incidents of abuse against the plaintiff, identified only as “John Doe No. 1,” a 2021 KHS graduate whose tenure on the football team extended from the fall of 2017 through the fall of 2020.

The allegations also are being investigated by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and the state education department, triggering a statewide media frenzy this week.

The Kingfisher Board of Education scheduled a special meeting at 10 a.m. Wednesday for the purpose of discussing the lawsuit in closed session with Tulsa attorney John Priddy, who represents the district, as well as head football coach Jeff Myers, assistant coach Derek Patterson and former assistant coach Blake Eaton.

Former assistant coach Micah Nall, also named as a defendant, is represented by Oklahoma City attorney Mark S. Rains.

Nall resigned from KPS in 2020 after pleading guilty to obstructing an officer in an investigation into hazing allegations involving another football player. No other criminal charges resulted from that investigation.

Kingfisher Police Chief David Catron said a law enforcement investigation into the lawsuit claims began after the amended petition was filed and the allegations were reported to his department by Kingfisher Public Schools officials.

“We asked the OSBI to take over the investigation and they agreed to do that,” Catron said Monday.

OSBI confirmed the agency’s involvement in a three-sentence news release Monday after a request from the Times & Free Press for more information:

“The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) has an open investigation into the Kingfisher Football Program. The Kingfisher Police Department requested OSBI assistance in February regarding accusations of misconduct within the program. There is no additional information available since the investigation is ongoing.”

Following an open records request, the Times & Free Press also obtained a copy of a detailed complaint and request for investigation submitted Jan. 17 to the Oklahoma State Department of Education by the parents of the John Doe plaintiff.

“The wrongs committed against our son were wicked, despicable, and reprehensible. Yet, what has prompted us as a family to bring this situation to the immediate attention of the OSDE and the State Board was indisputable proof that these acts were perpetrated upon past football players and continue against present football players,” the parents allege in the complaint, which also included a copy of the 30-page amended petition.

The parents also allege in the complaint that a retired special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation hired by them has taken statements from approximately 25 current and former players and parents involved in the football program from 2008-21.

In response, the OSDE office of general counsel sent a certified letter to KPS Superintendent Dr. Daniel Craig and the school board March 4, informing them that an investigation had been opened and attaching a copy of the complaint.

“The OSDE’s decision to open an investigation does not relfect an opinion by the agency regarding the merits of the allegations or the District’s compliance with respect to laws and regulations,” Brad Clark, OSDE general counsel, wrote in the letter, which was provided to the Times & Free Press in response to its open records request.

OSDE also provided the Times & Free Press the following statement on behalf of State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister, who is a candidate for governor:

“The reports of abuse are deeply troubling. A culture that enables it cannot be tolerated. Parents have a right to expect their children to be protected at school and in athletics.

“Stepping forward to report injury and abuse isn’t easy and takes courage. These are serious claims and we are investigating thoroughly.”

The OSDE letter to KPS included a list of documents and records to be provided by the district to aid in the investigation, including any complaints of bullying, harassment, hazing or abuse involving the football team or Title IX complaints, any videos of alleged “bull in the ring” drills, calendars of past and present school staff, administration and school board members, employee handbooks and district policies related to Title IX, bullying and harassment.

The letter set a March 23 deadline for submission of the requested records and stated the OSDE will seek to complete its preliminary review within the next 30 business days.

Craig, whose employment began after the incidents alleged in the lawsuit, confirmed receipt of the letter and said Monday that the district was in the process of compiling the information requested.

He declined further comment due to the pending lawsuit and ongoing investigations.

The lawsuit alleges the plaintiff suffered abuse at the hands of the coaches and some of his teammates, identified only as “the offending players,” which amounted to acts of “bullying, hazing and sexual harrassment” as defined by the school handbook.

The amended petition includes an extensive list of allegations from “dangerous practice drills” to bullying and physical assaults off the field that were allegedly condoned and at times encouraged by the named coaches.

The lawsuit includes a picture of bruises allegedly sustained by the plaintiff during daily locker room floggings by upperclassmen that were allegedly shown by the plaintiff’s father to Myers, the former KPS superintendent and the former athletic director.

The amended petition also alleges the plaintiff was assaulted by upperclassmen at various times with stun guns and paintball guns and threatened with an air rifle at point-blank range in the locker room.

The lawsuit also alleges an incident of sexual assault when another player allegedly sat naked on the plaintiff’s face while he was restrained by other players.

The lawsuit also alleges that the plaintiff’s father telephoned or met with the coaching staff and other school officials on a number of occasions but no action was taken.

Attorneys for all parties will be involved in a telephone scheduling conference April 6 with federal district Judge Charles Goodwin, who is assigned to the case.

Both sides have demanded a jury trial, but an Oklahoma City newspaper reported Sunday that Spradling has offered to settle with the school district for $1.5 million. He said he will not settle with the individual coaches.

Answers to the petition have been filed on behalf of all the named defendants denying any wrongdoing.