CHARDON, Ohio — Lou Cirino, the former head football coach at West Geauga High School and later Strongsville, has agreed to plead guilty to accusations of sexual misconduct with a former student.
According to Geauga County court documents, Cirino admitted on Wednesday to a single felony count of gross sexual imposition, which was downgraded from sexual battery. A separate charge of gross sexual imposition, which had claimed Cirino engaged in sexual contact with a child under age 13 from 2004-05, was dropped altogether, as were specifications labeling Cirino a "sexually violent predator."
Per the terms of the plea deal, the 41-year-old Cirino could serve up to 18 months in prison. He will also be required to register as a Tier I sex offender for 15 years and be banned from coming within 1,000 feet of schools and child care facilities.
Prosecutors say Cirino's crimes occurred between December of 2009 and December of 2010, which included his first season as West Geauga's head coach. Chester Township police told 3News they were not told of the allegations against Cirino until December 2023, the same month Cirino was relieved of his duties coaching at Strongsville. He was arrested in April of this year.
In six years at West Geauga from 2010-16, Cirino led the Wolverines to a 47-27 record before taking the top job at Strongsville. His tenure from 2017-23 produced a lackluster mark of 31-38, and the school district announced on Dec. 4 of last year that it would be "going in a different direction with the SHS football program."
There is no evidence Strongsville administrators knew of the allegations against Cirino when they fired him as head coach, but just four days later, the high school announced it had placed a staff member on leave "as a result of allegations of an inappropriate relationship involving a student when the individual was employed by another school district." The original indictment against Cirino specified that the victim in the case "was enrolled in or attends that school" from 2009-10.
In total, Cirino was employed at West Geauga from 2006-17, not only coaching football but also middle school track as well as teaching. Superintendent Dr. Richard A. Markwardt said at the time of his arrest that the district had "cooperated with law enforcement during its investigation."
Strongsville City Schools conducted its own investigation and found no evidence Cirino engaged in similar conduct with any of the community's students. Immediately following his arrest, Cirino was still technically employed by the district and put on unpaid leave, but his name is no longer listed in the school's directory. At any rate, the terms of his plea deal would prevent him from even being inside the building.
Cirino has been out on bond since the spring. A date for his sentencing has not been set.