Parents of Cheltenham High School football players—as well as some of the players themselves—warned the school district about former head coach Terence Tolbert’s alleged allowance of bullying in his prior coaching job at Abington Senior High School, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Last week, the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office and Cheltenham Township Police Chief Richard Schaffer announced charges against Tolbert, three other coaches, and six players following an external hazing investigation.
According to their coverage, an anonymous parent said that her then-15-year-old son told her that his teammates had used a broomstick during an assault inside the locker room after a practice in August 2025. The student was assaulted again in September.
Tolbert and members of his staff were charged with endangering the welfare of a child and conspiracy.
According to today’s article, families urged district officials to reconsider Tolbert’s hiring prior to his appointment in June 2025. Those urgings reportedly took place in numerous private conversations and public meetings. A then-junior on the team started a petition against the hiring, and then-vice president of the football parent board, Taryn Knox, shared her concerns about Tolbert as well.
Numerous other parents and players publicly stated their opposition to district officials, The Inquirer said.
A 1989 alum, Tolbert was hired as Abington’s head coach in January 2023. At the time, he was a business teacher at Cheltenham High School (he resigned in October 2023 and was rehired in 2025). He had previously served as Abington’s assistant football coach from 1999-2009, and again in 2013.
In June 2024, Abington School District announced Tolbert had been let go following a 1-9 season.
“Our mission is to guide and develop student-athletes who are not only prepared to compete at a high level,” Tolbert said upon his 2025 appointment to lead the Panthers, “but who are also equipped to face life’s challenges with character, integrity, and sound decision-making. Together, my staff and I are dedicated to shaping young men who excel in sport, succeed in school, and grow into leaders beyond the game.”
From The Inquirer’s article:
After charges against Tolbert went public last week, an Abington parent shared with The Inquirer the text of a 2023 email he said was sent to Abington officials outlining similar allegations he had heard at the time, including that Tolbert failed to intervene in persistent bullying on the team and crude language from other coaches.
Before a Sept. 8, 2023 game, a coach used the f-slur to refer to the opposing team in a pep talk in front of Tolbert, who did not intervene, the email alleges. The complaint also describes instances where Tolbert failed to break up fights or react appropriately when he saw bullying, including a player who verbally berated a teammate with disabilities.
More to come.
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Photo: CSD