Former football coach clarifies details of viral video alleging student abuse in Colorado Springs high school
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - A video allegedly showing the aftermath of a local high school football coach abusing a student went viral on TikTok. Now, the coach in question is working to clarify the context of the video.
The clip in question shows the coach shouting at someone walking quickly off-camera. Another adult seems to be talking the coach down, holding him back as he shouts at the person off-screen.
The caption over the video reads, “This is a football coach and teacher at my children’s high school. Assaulting a child. Coach Carlos Nogueras is the teacher. He slammed the boy into the locker. And hit him multiple times. This boy was hurt very badly. The school says the parents don’t need to be informed. I’ve been to school over these teachers so many times!”
The person who posted the video, Tia Mailander, continued in the comments, saying “I was informed that the district allowed him to retire and collect his pension due to his time as a teacher. So that’s how this ended. No charges were ... filed. So I suppose my efforts were not enough.”
She clarified through the tags of the video that this happened at Mitchell High School, which is in school district 11. According to District 11, Nogueras was never a teacher, but an education support professional, who also worked as the head football coach. Officials are not able to confirm any details in the investigation, but tell 11 News Nogueras is no longer employed at District 11.
11 News reached out to Nogueras, who said he didn’t even know the video of him went viral on social media until he heard it from us. Once he saw the claim, he said, he wanted to set the record straight.
Nogueras said he was working as a study hall supervisor when he encountered the student in the video he was shouting at. That day, he said the student began using racial slurs while cursing at him and a fellow coach.
On the day of the incident, Nogueras said the student approached him again, insulting him and pushing a lunch tray into his stomach.
“At that time,” Nogueras said, “I flipped his food tray and... pushed him against the locker to get him away from me.”
Nogueras continued, saying security got involved immediately and a co-worker held him back, as seen in the viral video.
“When the situation happened, instantly, D11 put me on administrative leave, instantly,” he said.
He tells 11 News this incident happened in January, and he had been on leave for about three weeks. On Monday, he was interviewed for the district’s investigation; however, he decided to resign, from both his position as a coach, and as an ESP.
“There’s no pension, there’s no retirement pay, there’s none of that, so all those rumors that people make up,” he said.
Nogueras announced his resignation on his personal Facebook page after talking with 11 News on Tuesday. He said his decision came from not wanting to create more conflict, both between the school and its district, for whom he says he has much respect and for the student, whose future he said he doesn’t want to jeopardize.
“That kid is going to school the next day. That kid is going to be at that school continuously,” he said. “So instead of causing more conflict and causing more issues for either myself, Mitchell high school, or that student, it was easier for me to do that.”
When he learned that the video going around was alleging further abuse and alleging that the district was still paying him, he said he needed to speak up.
“I have much respect for D11 because they acted quickly, Mitchell security acted quickly, I have nothing bad to say about D11 or Mitchell High School,” Nogueras said.
He said his reputation, as well as the school and districts’ were at risk, and he didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize that.
District 11 and Mitchell High School are unable to confirm the information he gave. 11 News also attempted to reach out to Mailander, but has yet to get a response.
The Colorado Springs Police Department is able to confirm that Nogueras is not facing any charges.
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