Massillon player arrested on a months-old charge the week of the team’s big game against Hoban and is released in time to play in the game.

A standout football player for the Massillon Tigers was arrested Thursday on a months-old assault charge and released in time to help defeat Archbishop Hoban in a championship game Friday night.

On Aug. 4, a witness told police he saw the 17-year-old Washington High School senior run up to a 58-year-old man on a bicycle in the Popeyes parking lot in Akron’s North Hill neighborhood. The football player, whose age, weight and high school match the description on the arrest report, is accused of delivering a single punch to the man’s head.

There’s no reference in the police report to the events that unfolded immediately before the altercation. Akron detectives who worked the case were not available Sunday to provide more details.

The report says paramedics found the man unconscious on the ground with swelling, bleeding and what would be diagnosed at Summa Akron City Hospital as a skull fracture.

“(The victim) was hospitalized for over one month and still suffers from the brain injury,” according to Akron police.

Police said a surveillance camera captured a young man, who they believe to be the Massillon football player, at the scene of the assault. The suspect is seen running to and from the altercation, though the footage apparently did not capture the punch. The teen is last seen heading northbound on Howard Street.

The football player charged with the assault has been featured multiple times in the media for his accolades on the field, first in Akron then in Massillon.

Hoban Coach Tim Tyrrell declined to comment about the arrest or the impact it could have retroactively on the Division II regional championship game should the Ohio High School Athletic Association review the matter.

Tyrrell did say the player in question, who started for St. Vincent-St. Mary before going to Massillon this summer, always struck him as “a pretty good kid.” Reporters who covered the student-athlete agreed.

The player was booked Thursday in the Summit County Juvenile Detention Center, on the eve of the championship game.

Massillon school officials refused to comment on the individual student, whose name is not being reported in this story because he is a juvenile and, at this time, is not being charged as an adult.

“The Massillon City School District recognizes that student privacy is protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. We will continue to pride ourselves on the consistent application of this student and family centered law,” the school district told Beacon Journal news partner News 5 Cleveland.

The player, who grew up in Akron, was permitted to participate in the Division II regional championship game Friday at InfoCision Stadium in Akron. Massillon won 17-14.

Attempts to track the criminal case in the juvenile court system or directly contact the player or a guardian were unsuccessful. The player’s Facebook profile, which features him standing in his football jersey, has only one post in the last 24 hours.

“ALL PRAISE BE TO GOD NO MATTER THE CIRCUMSTANCES . HE GIVE HIS STRONGEST ANGELS THE HARDER BATTLES ,” says the account that appears to belong to the football player.

“Keep your head up and ignore all the bs,” a supporter responded in the comments. “I can imagine this is a challenging task right now. My daughter knows you and from what I have heard you are an awesome person and are truly genuine. No matter what we have your back because We Are Massillon, and so are you!”

Breaking from routine, Massillon’s coaching staff did not permit reporters to interview players Friday after the championship game, which ended the Hoban Knights’ 22-game playoff winning streak.

Student handbooks for Massillon City Schools require athletes in junior high and elementary schools to be “good” citizens. At Washington High School, the handbook requires only that athletes are under 20 years old and maintain minimum academic standards.

The high school’s student code of conduct outlines a “zero-tolerance policy” for violence:

“The (school) Board believes that the best discipline is self-imposed and that students should learn to assume responsibility for their own behavior and the consequences of their actions,” according to the handbook. “The Board has zero tolerance of violent, disruptive or inappropriate behavior by its students.”

Reach Beacon Journal reporter Doug Livingston at dlivingston@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3792.

MASSILLON, Ohio — Akron police spokesman Lt. Michael Miller confirms that a football player for the famed Massillon High School Tigers is facing criminal charges alleging that he punched a bicyclist, knocking him to the ground and fracturing his skull.

The 17-year-old was arrested Thursday on delinquency charges of felonious assault by Akron police for the Aug. 4 incident on North Howard Street. He was being held in the Summit County Juvenile Detention Center until being released from custody Friday morning pending additional hearings.

In general, WKYC does not report the identity of a juvenile who has been arrested, but reserves the right to if the circumstances warrant.

The Tigers are set to play rival Archbishop Hoban in the state playoffs tonight at InfoCision Stadium. A Massillon spokeswoman did not comment on the player’s status, but released the following statement from district Superintendent Paul Salvino:

“The Massillon City School District recognizes that student privacy is protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. We will continue to pride ourselves on the consistent application of this student and family centered law.”

According to the report, the 58-year-old man was riding his bike when the teen punched him, knocking him unconscious. The victim suffered a skull fracture and brain bleed, police said.

The victim was hospitalized for more than a month and still suffers the effects of the brain injury, police added.

Police say they have video of the teen “running before and after the assault.”

There was some initial confusion over the arrest of the assault suspect. Police said a 19-year-old, with a similarly spelled name as the 17-year-old, was mistakenly arrested this week for the attack.

Police on Thursday dismissed the charges against the 19-year-old and the dismissal is noted on Akron Municipal Court records. The 17-year-old’s case is pending in Juvenile Court. Those records are protected because of his age and not available online.

AKRON, Ohio (WJW)  — The Fox 8 I-Team has confirmed a Massillon Washington High School football player is facing charges of  felonious assault in Summit County juvenile court.

Akron police filed the charges earlier this week.

The 17-year-old is alleged to have assaulted a 58-year-old man on August 4.

The teen was arrested Thursday and released Friday.  He is due back in court soon.

Sources say the teen did play in Friday night’s high school football playoff game.

According to an Akron police report, on August 4 the 17-year-old ran up to the victim, who was riding a bicycle, and punched him in the back of his head, knocking him unconscious. The victim fell off his bicycle and struck the pavement suffering a skull fracture and brain bleed.

The report further states the victim was hospitalized for more than a month and still suffers from a brain injury.

The report also states there is video of the suspect running in the area before and after the assault.

A witness told police he saw the victim riding his bicycle in the parking lot of Popeye’s, on North Howard Street, when a male punched him in the head one time.

Massillon school officials released the following statement to Fox 8 Friday.

“The Massillon City School District recognizes that student privacy is protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. We will continue to pride ourselves on the consistent application of this student and family centered law.”

40.792633
-81.503266