Football powerhouse confronts scandal with wall of silence

High school football powerhouse Mater Dei, in Los Angeles, Ca. is under fire for a lawsuit accusing the school of trying to cover up a locker room incident leaving a player with a brain injury.

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Sports

December 23, 2021 - 10:03 AM

Mater Dei head coach Bruce Rollinson is hoisted on the shoulders of his team in celebration after defeating San Mateo Serra, 44-7, to win the CIF State Football Championship Bowl Games Open Division tournament at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, California, on Dec. 11, 2021. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS) Photo by TNS

LOS ANGELES — Hoisted upon the shoulders of his players, fresh leis piled high around his neck, Bruce Rollinson looked out upon thousands of faithful fans who had braved 48-degree weather to watch Mater Dei High School win its third state football championship in five years.

A chant — “Rollo! Rollo!” — began to echo from the stands.

But rather than stay on the field for postgame interviews with his star players, Rollinson was quickly hustled away by a knot of security guards and assistant coaches when journalists approached him.

The Monarchs’ resounding win on Dec. 11 capped a month of external scrutiny for Rollinson and the school’s storied athletic program, following a lawsuit that accuses Mater Dei and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange of trying to cover up a brutal locker room altercation that left a player with a traumatic brain injury.

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