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Report: Oviedo HS football coach provided inadequate supervision of players in locker room

OVIEDO, Fla. — The report into so-called locker room shenanigans and inappropriate touching at Oviedo High School is now complete.

Matt Dixon is no longer the head football coach at Oviedo High School, but according to a report released by the district, investigators said Dixon failed to follow several district policies to keep players safe.

In a 23-page report, investigators found Dixon and his coaching staff provided inadequate supervision of his players while they were in the locker room.

The lack of supervision led to players being subjected to unwanted touching called “code reds.”

According to the report, a few players, who were interviewed as part of the investigation, told authorities that they felt uncomfortable or fearful in the locker room based on the physicality of the horseplay, in addition to the code reds, and that they would avoid the locker room altogether and dress in the bathroom.

Other students who witnessed the code reds said it appeared the students were doing it to annoy other students. A student who had it done to them would then do it to other students, essentially passing the tradition down.

As for Dixon, he told investigators that the reason he did not supervise the players is because after years of incidents, an Oviedo police officer told him he should not stand in the locker rooms to supervise as a student could attempt to charge him as a voyeur or allege that there was a sexual connotation to the observation.

Dixon said he would stand in the hallway to supervise, but the layout of the locker room prevents full view of students, according to the report.

In the end, the district investigators found the code red culture among the students continued from previous years unchecked.

They also found Dixon violated several school policies, including a state statute, saying Dixon “failed to make reasonable efforts to protect students from conditions harmful to their physical/mental health and or safety. Additionally, these inactions exposed the student/players to unnecessary embarrassment and disparagement.”

Dixon was allowed to keep his job as a gym teacher at the school, but as a teacher, he is required to supervise his students.

In the wake of this report, Channel 9 plans to ask the district if Dixon will face any discipline.

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