Philly: Catholic High School Fires Basketball Coach for Connection to Antigay Beating

An assistant basketball coach at a Philadelphia-area Catholic high school lost his job after allegations that he may have been involved in a vicious beating of a gay couple in City Center last Thursday night.

Fran McGlinn has not been formally listed as a suspect in the assault, with police instead calling him a person of interest, but the Roman Catholic Archidiocese of Philadelphia nonetheless released McGlinn from his position as assistant coach at Archbishop Wood High School on Thursday. While initial statements from the Archdiocese indicated the suspect was fired, Philadelphia's WPVI-TV reported Thursday evening that McGlinn agreed to resign.

McGlinn had been working at the school on a contractual basis and will not be allowed to work in an archdiocesan school, according to KYW News. McGlinn was not a teacher at Archbishop Wood High School.

"He was terminated this evening and will not be permitted to coach in any archdiocesan school," Kenneth Gavin, the spokesman for the archdiocese, told the Philadelphia Daily News. "We expect all those who work with students in our school to model appropriate Christian behavior at all times."

The archdiocese released a statement Wednesday denouncing and condemning the violent attack that left two gay men requiring hospitalization.

"Earlier today, Archbishop Wood High School became aware that some of its former students were allegedly involved in the assault of two men in Center City last week," reads the statement. "This afternoon, administrators communicated with the entire Archbishop Wood school community to make it emphatically clear that the school does not, under any circumstances, tolerate or condone the violent and hateful behavior displayed by those who took part in this senseless attack."

The investigation into the attack near Rittenhouse Square on the 1600 block of Chancellor Street is ongoing. Police officers say the couple was approached by a group of men and women, and they are seeking 10-12 suspects in connection with the attack, according to WPVI News.

Some suspects have been identified via Twitter, according to KYW. A Twitter user identified suspects in a group photo taken at the La Viola restaurant, located near the scene of the attack.

No charges have been filed by law enforcement yet, although officers had met with several "persons of interest" as of Wednesday, Philadelphia's Inquirer reports. Even though numerous reports on the assault indicate the assailants used antigay slurs while beating the same-sex couple, and charges ultimately faced by the attackers will not include formal hate crime enhancements, as Pennsylvania's hate-crime law does not cover crimes motivated by the victim's sexual orientation or gender identity.

The recent attack has led to calls for changes in the law, and one Philadelphia City Council member is seeking to involve federal authorities in the investigation and prosecution, possibly charging the suspects under the federal Hate Crimes Prevention Act.