6 Mariner High coaches out after Cape Coral lock-in incident investigated

CAPE CORAL, Fla. (WINK) — Six Mariner High School football coaches will no longer be on the sidelines following an overnight team-building event that is now under investigation by the Lee County School District and Cape Coral Police.

Head football coach Tyran Jones and assistant coach Kaycie Zorbas have been relieved of their coaching duties and placed on administrative leave pending the investigations. Four assistant coaches who were not district employees have been fired effective immediately.

The incident occurred during an overnight lock-in at the end of July. According to the parent of one of the players involved, his son was sprayed with a substance that he believes was urine during the event. The family says they've kept the clothes to be tested if needed, and the student has since transferred to another school.

In a letter to Mariner parents, the school's principal and athletic director said no hazing happened at the lock-in, but the details remain unclear as to what did occur. The district acknowledged a lack of supervision by the coaching staff and said "unacceptable behavior" by some of the players will not be tolerated.

The school has identified students whose actions violated their expectations, and they will face disciplinary action. WINK News spoke with the team's equipment manager, who said she was told it was just water.

"It's water. We bathe with water. We get rained on, so it's like... we step in water, so we brush our teeth for water," said Gariyanie W.

The district has not confirmed the allegations about what substance was used during the incident. WINK News reached out to Jones and Zorbas, but has not heard back from Jones, and Zorbas declined to comment.

With less than a week from the start of the new school year, both the school district and Cape Coral Police are continuing their investigations. Questions remain about what exactly happened and how students violated district expectations.