Portage coaches arrested for porn soliciting

Fox, Rousell accused of asking students to share nude pictures of female classmates

HARRISBURG -- Two Portage Area High School wrestling coaches have been charged with solicitation of child pornography and corruption of minors, after an investigation that started with a Safe2Say tip, Attorney General Josh Shapiro said.

Michael Fox, 33, head coach and a teacher, and Bradley Rousell, 31, assistant coach of the Portage Area High School wrestling team, were arrested Friday. The coaches are charged with requesting to see and view nude images of minor females that wrestling team members had on their cellphones.

According to online state court records, both are in Allegheny County Jail in lieu of $25,000 bail each. Charges were filed in West Mifflin Borough. Fox is facing two felony counts of solicitation of child pornography and a misdemeanor count of corruption of minors. Rousell is facing four felony counts of solicitation of child pornography and one misdemeanor count of corruption of minors.

"What these coaches did was not only an abuse of power, but a violation of trust to the faculty and students at Portage High School," Shapiro said in a statement. "Forcing students to share pornographic photos with their adult coaches is disturbing, illegal and abusive to the young adults they were supposed to be mentors to. Instead of coaching these boys how to be responsible young men, they used them. I will always stand up to protect children across our commonwealth."

The images were shared on several occasions during the 2018 and 2019 December annual West Mifflin Wrestling Tournament in Allegheny County.

These images would be shared during what was described as a mandatory team bonding meeting in one of the coaches' hotel rooms. The defendants would start pressuring student athletes to bring photos of female classmates several days or weeks in advance, with Fox and Rousell asking their athletes if they "got pics" and that they "better be getting them ready" prior to the tournament. The sharing of these images at this tournament was described as a tradition by both current and former varsity wrestlers.

During these team meetings in both 2018 and 2019, Fox and Rousell would discuss very specific details about sexual encounters they had with different women and would ask students about their own sexual experiences and ask specific questions about the wrestlers' current girlfriends.

Two students told investigators that Fox had directed them to get images of a specific female student, for Fox's viewing, on multiple occasions. Fox and Rousell would also ask team members to confirm the identity of the female students whose photos were being shown.

A common theme described by current and former varsity wrestlers was that Rousell would state that the West Mifflin Wrestling Tournament is "where boys become men," referring to the sharing of nude images of female classmates along with explicit sexual talk and stories that Fox and Rousell shared with the wrestlers.

WTAJ reported Portage Area School District solicitor Dennis McGlynn said the school dismissed Rousell, who was employed part-time, immediately after hearing the allegations and that Fox has been suspended with pay in accordance with his contract.