West Potomac High head baseball coach resigning following team hazing allegations

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - West Potomac High School baseball head coach Jim Sullivan has resigned. He tells FOX 5 his resignation is not related to the ongoing hazing investigation involving the team, but would not provide the reason.

Coach Sullivan tells FOX 5 he would not comment on the investigation or any further about his resignation.

A Fairfax County Schools spokesperson said in a statement: "Mr. [Jim] Sullivan has resigned. He is not a full-time employee and there's no letter I'm aware of from him."

When asked if he'd like to say anything about the West Potomac baseball hazing allegations, Sullivan said speaking would "only draw out the pain and agony," for the school.

This would be the second resignation of a coach for the team since hazing allegations surfaced less than a month ago.

One coach had already resigned from the team, but it is unclear why.

On March 13, Fairfax County police and Fairfax County Public Schools said they were investigating claims of harassment involving the West Potomac High School baseball team.

One student-athlete at the school said he doesn't think the coaches should be held responsible for the players' actions.

"The coaches weren't in the locker room when it happened. And it's not really their fault, they didn't know about it. And when the coach first found out about it he started talking to everyone so I don't think the coach should be responsible, but the kids should."

FOX 5 has learned in emails acquired in a Freedom of Information Act request, school staff were calling what happened "possible hazing incidents."

FOX 5 has learned through an email from an assistant superintendent that three players are facing discipline and have been suspended from the team.

Some of the emails are also providing insight into what this possible hazing may have been. A teacher at West Potomac emailed the principal alerting her to one of the allegations, which claimed that a player "is known to have shut another player, a small guy apparently, in a locker and to have urinated on him."

A parent of a former West Potomac High School baseball player says she warned coaches and administrators a year ago about possible hazing currently being investigated by the school district and police. However, her concerns were not addressed.