An assistant basketball coach at Archbishop Wood High School has resigned his position after he was implicated Sept. 18 in the brutal beating of two men a week ago in center city Philadelphia.
Identified in news reports as Fran McGlinn and confirmed by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, when confronted by school officials Wednesday about the allegation of his involvement with the assault, he resigned.
McGlinn was not a full-time employee but rather coached on a contract basis, according to the archdiocese.
Neither he nor any of the other dozen or so young men who allegedly participated in the Sept. 11 assault of two men the assailants believed were homosexual have been charged with a crime at this time.
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The connection of other former Archbishop Wood students who may have participated in the attack remained unclear. McGlinn is a 2007 graduate of the archdiocesan high school in Warminster, Bucks County.
Archbishop Charles Chaput issued a statement Thursday deploring the act of violence and the alleged conduct of the Catholic high school graduates.
“A key part of a Catholic education is forming students to respect the dignity of every human person whether we agree with them or not,” said the archbishop. “What students do with that formation when they enter the adult world determines their own maturity and dignity, or their lack of it.
“Violence against anyone, simply because of who they are, is inexcusable and alien to what it means to be a Christian. A recent beating incident in Center City allegedly involved, in some way, a part-time coach at Archbishop Wood High School. After inquiries by school leadership, the coach was contacted regarding the matter and he resigned.
“Archbishop Wood’s handling of the matter was appropriate, and I support their efforts to ensure that Catholic convictions guide the behavior of their whole school community, including their staff.”
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