Toxic culture pervaded Montreal high school basketball program where coaches charged, students say
CBC
Warning: This story contains disturbing language and subject matter.
For most of her high school life, Mary was on the basketball court five days a week playing the game she loved.
But the teenager would slip into the gym knowing she'd have to steel herself against a constant barrage of insults from Daniel Lacasse, her coach at École secondaire Saint-Laurent.
"He told me I was nothing. He said I was dumb — I'm not going to go anywhere in life," Mary said in an interview. CBC News is not using her real name to protect her privacy.
"Honestly, it was horrible. He was very abusive, emotionally. He used horrible, homophobic words."
Lacasse, 43, was arrested by Montreal police at the school earlier this month, along with two other coaches, Charles-Xavier Boislard, also 43, and Robert Luu, 31.
The sex-related accusations involve two former players on the high school girls basketball team, but police say there could be more victims dating as far back as 2005.
Lacasse faces one charge of sexual exploitation. None of the allegations have been proven in court.
In the aftermath of the arrests, CBC News spoke with four former and current basketball players at the school, as well as a staff member and others with knowledge of the basketball program.
The players recounted how Lacasse called them derogatory names and derided their physical appearance.
"He'd use words like osti d'homosexuel (fucking homosexual), plottes sales (dirty cunts). All disgusting words in practices and games," said Mary.
Several players said he was manipulative, as well as emotionally and mentally abusive, while overseeing the Express basketball program.
The accounts from students and staff — and a parent who brought forward a complaint against the school — also paint a portrait of a basketball program that appeared to prioritize winning over the mental well-being of the athletes.
The walls inside the high school gym are covered with dozens of championship banners, a testament to the success of its sports programs.
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