A “cult-like” church, a high school football team, and a murder

In towns across the U.S., public interest in high school and college football can verge on cultish. The stereotype of the pampered star quarterback, the massive draw of weekly games, and hero worship aimed at minor athletes, many not even old enough to drive, has become as American as apple pie and bacon cheeseburgers, explored in movies and TV shows like Friday Night Lights and Varsity Blues . I witnessed this kind of fervor growing up around Penn State, where the shadow of PSU football coach Joe Paterno loomed so large that young Nittany Lions fans rioted over his firing for not reporting allegations related to Jerry Sandusky, a former PSU assistant coach whose conviction as a serial pedophile shook the college sports world. In McKeesport, Pa., the high school football team has long been a source of pride, producing players who have gone on to successful NFL and coaching careers. But the cultishness around the team has become less metaphorical, not at all mirroring what’s portrayed in the media. Now, school administrators are being forced to contend with it. On June 11, McKeesport Area School District director Matthew Holtzman released an open letter on social media calling for the resignation of the high school’s entire coaching staff. It details betrayal against a famous alum, and, in pointedly bolded, quoted text, reads “Being in control doesn’t make you God. It doesn’t even make you a man. Real men protect the innocent. Real men do what’s right. No matter what the cost.” Open letter by McKeesport Area School District director Matthew Holtzman The statement, with its dramatic tone and cryptic allusions, strongly suggests this is about more than just football. What prompted this letter, as Pittsburgh City Paper found out, involves a bizarre culmination of allegations surrounding a “cult-like” church, its infiltration of a school’s football program, and the murder of a former NFL player’s daughter. Based on information ga