The El Cerrito High football team has been suspended for hazing and up to 22 current or former players are facing arrest, according to WCCUSD officials and police.
The district and police issued press releases Thursday morning saying that the hazing occurred over the past two years. Those involved are facing charges including battery, sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, dissuading a victim, conspiracy, and stalking.
The El Cerrito Police Department said it “launched a comprehensive investigation and detectives conducted extensive interviews with victims, school staff, and witnesses,” and that the investigation remains active.
The West Contra Costa Unified School District also has a third party handling an open Title IX investigation into the hazing incidents. A Title IX investigation is a formal, school-level inquiry to address allegations of sex-based discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, stalking, or unequal athletic and program opportunities.
“No child should ever experience what our students have described,” said WCCUSD Superintendent Cheryl Cotton in a press release. “While we have worked to focus on accountability for the actions of individual players up until this point, new information has led to new decisions. We must now make the very tough call to immediately suspend the El Cerrito High football program in order to prevent any further harm and restore a safe learning environment for our students.”
Neither the school district nor the police shared details about what exactly happened. In early October the campus was shut down twice due to “brawls” involving football players, a student told Richmondside on the condition of anonymity. It’s unknown if those fights were related to hazing.
The student shared a video of an alleged conflict involving a junior varsity football player and his teammates.
“What supposedly happened was the JV kid’s older brother came to the school on the front lawn and presumably the tension started to ramp up to…starting the brawl,” the student told Richmondside. “After the brawl happened someone called the police department and reported the older brother has a firearm and thus putting the school into lockdown after school hours for 3:30 to 3:55. After that the threat was cleared and the lockdown was lifted.”
That week, WCCUSD spokesperson Liz Sanders clarified to Richmondside that there was no firearm. She said relatives of students were on campus “to address a student safety issue” and a fight broke out in front of the school.
“Law enforcement supported the response. No arrests were made,” Sanders said.
The school district said it is providing supportive resources for all involved students and will be implementing anti-hazing education and bystander education across classrooms.
As part of the ongoing investigation process, head football coach Tim Johnson is on leave.
Johnson assumed the role in February 2025, leading the Gauchos to their first ever CIF State Division 4-A championship in December 2025. Player Gary Youngblood received the 2025 Daylen Foster Memorial Award and played in the Blue Grey All American Bowl Game in Dallas last January.
Johnson took over for former head coach Jacob Rincon, who was placed on administrative leave by the district in September 2024 for different reasons. The football team was placed on a two-year probation by the CIF North Coast Section in November 2024 after violating multiple governing bylaws regarding player transfers and eligibility. Despite holding an on-field winning record that would have made them the No. 6 seed in the section’s top playoff division, the Gauchos were disqualified and banned from the 2024 NCS playoffs.
This year, the team had a 6-3 record before its suspension. The team was virtually guaranteed to make the postseason. El Cerrito was ranked as the No. 11 overall team in the North Coast Section (NCS) and the No. 2 team specifically in NCS Division 4.
“First and foremost, we must care for our students’ wellbeing,” said WCCUSD school board President Guadalupe Enllana. “As a Board and a district, we are committed to making sure that our students have the guidance and safe learning environments that they need in order to learn, grow, and thrive.”
