MENTOR, Ohio — After a 2022 season that was marred by controversy, Lake Catholic High School won't be fielding a boys' lacrosse team in 2023.
Lake Catholic High School President Mark Crowley confirmed the decision to 3News, issuing the following statement:
"Lake Catholic was actively recruiting a lacrosse coach for the 2023 season with the intention of fielding a team. However, the school was unable to secure a coach and, consequently, unable to field a team this season. It is Lake Catholic’s intention to continue its search for a coach and to field a team next season."
Lake Catholic's decision to not field a lacrosse team in 2023 comes less than a year after a player was accused of wearing a painted Swastika on his leg during a playoff game against Orange High School last May. Less than a week after the incident, Chris Hastings resigned as both the school's lacrosse and soccer coach.
An investigation performed by the school found that a lacrosse player had used eye black to draw swastikas on three of his teammates as a prank before the game. The player drew the swastika on his palm and proceeded to press his hand against the arms of two teammates and the calf of a third, thus transferring the image.
While the two players with the marks on their arms became aware of the swastikas and rubbed the marks off, the player with the mark on his calf didn't become aware of it until it was brought to his attention during the course of the game. At that point, he removed the mark with the help of his teammates.
The investigation also said it found no evidence of any Lake Catholic players or coaches using antisemitic slurs during the course of the game, as had reportedly been alleged. It did, however, find that an adult Lake Catholic team photographer used "coarse and profane," but not anti-Semitic language, during a verbal exchange with individuals associated with Orange High School.
As a result of its investigation, Lake Catholic said that the player who put the marks on his teammates -- a senior -- was prohibited from participating in commencement exercises and would not receive his diploma or final transcript until completing community service assigned by the school and a program on Jewish heritage. Additionally, the entire 2022 lacrosse team was required to take part in the program developed by the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, while the adult team photographer who used profane language was prohibited from acting in any official capacity relating to the school moving forward.