Benjamin Chambers/Delaware News Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK
Manheim Central (Pa.) takes the field for the start of the football game against Smyrna at Abessinio Stadium in Wilmington, Friday, Sept. 1, 2023. Manheim won 37-36.
Historically speaking, the Manheim Central Barons are one of the most successful programs in the history of Pennsyvlania High School Football. Their .711 win percentage since beginning in 1947 ranked seventh all-time in the state.
But at the moment, the program finds itself in the news for all the wrong reasons after a pair of current players, a former player, and a former assistant were all charged in an incident involving a “Black tax” placed on one of the players.
District Attorney Heather Adams alleges that the three players extorted Black teammates by forcing them to pay money to access the locker room, for what they called a Black tax, an amount that regularly increased
This happened three times a week for a month before it was reported to former assistant coach Jared Shearer, who resigned as defensive coordinator amid the investigation.
Ugly Details Emerge From Pennsylvania High School Football Powerhouse
One victim alleges that when he refused to pay the tax, his teammates wrapped him in an extension cord and hit him with elastic exercise bands.
Another claims that the suspects held him down in a bathroom stall and sprayed an unknown aerosol spray at him in a tactic they called the “gas chamber.” The suspects allegedly then exposed their genitals and rubbed them on the victims, according to Adams.
A third victim said the suspects would dance around him naked in the locker room and rub their genitals against him. All of the alleged attacks occurred during school hours.
According to recent census data, just three percent of Manheim Township identifies as Black or African American.
Shearer, a mandatory reporter, was allegedly informed of the attacks but did not alert police. He also did not inform the parents of the alleged victims.
School officials claim they were only made aware of the issue in mid-May, when one victim’s parents reported them to the school principal. The principal then filed a ChildLine report and contacted local police after speaking with the victim and several witnesses.
The Manheim Central school board recently accepted a resolution to charge former high school football head coach David Hahn with failure to protect students. Hahn resigned in June after 11 seasons in charge.