Former Winnipeg high school football coach pleads guilty to 11 sexual abuse charges

WARNING | This story contains graphic details.

A former Winnipeg high school football coach and teacherhas pleaded guilty to 11 charges related to sexual abuse of former players who were minors at the time.

Kelsey McKay, 53,wasarrested on April 12, 2022. He wascharged with a total of30offences related to the sexual exploitation of minors while he worked as a teacher and coached football at Vincent Massey Collegiate and Churchill High School for more than two decades.

McKay pleaded guilty to nine counts of sexual assault and two amended charges of luring at a Manitoba provincial court hearing on Thursday before Judge Malcolm McDonald.

The other charges were stayed.

Because of his guilty plea, there will not be a trial.McKay will be sentenced at an upcoming hearing.

McKay will be on the provincial sex offender registry for 20 years, and will have to submit to aDNA order.

Police previously said former students and players, who arenow adults, reported that when they were teens, the coach formedexploitative relationships with them, and sexual offences took placeat his home.

"Others who coached withMcKay, or helped with his teams over the years, noticed unusually close relationships he had with certain players, and knew that he had them over to his house and texted regularly with many of them,"Crown attorney Katie Dojacktold the court Thursday,asshe read from an agreed statement of facts.

"Since all this behaviour was public knowledge, few viewed it as a red flag."

'Many red flags'

Investigators heard thatMcKay seemed to provide "special treatment" to youth with absent parents or families with struggles in the home, Dojack said.

McKay, who wasrepresented by defence lawyer Josh Weinstein, remained mostly silent in court Thursday as shelaid out the details and timelines of each charge for the better part of an hour.

Court heardhe gave massages to more than one player at his home, and had them over to watch movies and football anduse his hot tub. At various times hetouched their genitals, talked about sexual preferences and showed pornography, Dojack said.

She said he took some of them out for meals and to movies. McKay did the same with a parentwho years later admitted to missing "many red flags" because the coach seemed like a positiverole model for kids, Dojack said.

Some parents of boyson McKay's football team raised concerns about his coaching style over the years, shesaid.

"While he was respected by most, he was also an intimidating presence and demonstrated an 'old-school coaching style'that could also be described as verbally and emotionally abusive," Dojack said.

Parents raised concerns in 2016

In one case in 2016, three sets of parents came forward to school administration at Vincent Massey Collegiate and to human resources at the school divisionwith concerns about his interactions with their sons, said Dojack.

That conduct included"excessive text messaging and other behaviour that they viewed as unprofessional and inappropriate," according to the statement of facts.

McKay didn't deny any of those allegations, nor did he provide an explanation for his conduct.

Dojack said he had completeda respect in sport course nearly a decade earlier that covered things like "the rule of two,"which dictates that coaches shouldn't be alone with young athletes.

After the complaints in 2016, he was orderedto complete the respect in sports course again, review the divisional policy aroundstaff interaction with students, andcommit to aprogram to help child-serving organizations reduce the risk of sexual abuse and create safer environments.

He was also told to seek counselling and to cease all text messagingwithstudents, except in a group text directly related to sportsor forimportant messages.

He was also ordered to cease all individual meetings with students.

"Despite this direction McKay continued to text with students and meet with them one-on-one,"Dojack said.

She said about half a dozenformer football playerscame together in 2018, where "it was revealed that they were all victims of McKay."

One of the players decided to comeforward after hearing about an unrelated 2021 case, in which aWinnipeg hockey coach wascharged with sexual assault and child pornography offences involving former teen players in the 1990s, said Dojack.

The player came forward with his allegations against McKayinApril of last year. The former coach was arrested about a week later.

"He decided that McKay should be held accountable," said Dojack.

McKay remains in the community with conditions ahead of his sentencing, which is expected to take place later this year.

Support is available for anyone who has been sexually assaulted. You can access crisis lines and local support services through this government of Canada website or the Ending Violence Association of Canada database. If you're in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.