​The El Cerrito High School football program has been suspended following a police investigation into allegations of hazing and bullying involving current and former players, school district officials said.The decision came after El Cerrito police disclosed that 22 current and former football players are under investigation.”Given what we now know about the scope of the law enforcement investigation, we must immediately suspend the program in order to make sure that there are no further harms to students,” said Liz Sanders, assistant superintendent of communications for the West Contra Costa Unified School District.District officials said they first became aware of the allegations last month.”October 2nd is when we learned of these allegations and immediately referred them to law enforcement,” Sanders said.According to El Cerrito police, the alleged incidents occurred between September 2024 and October 2026.”We’ve learned that approximately 22 subjects were involved in this hazing and bullying,” said Capt. Lauren Caputo of the El Cerrito Police Department. “And we’re investigating crimes of battery, sexual battery, stalking and other crimes.”The El Cerrito High School football team won a state championship in 2025. Police said the alleged incidents occurred on school grounds and involved football players targeting their own teammates.”Our detectives initiated an investigation. During this investigation, they conducted numerous interviews of school staff, witnesses and also victims. Through those interviews, they were able to obtain some video evidence which further corroborated some of the allegations by the victims,” said Caputo.The school district also confirmed that the head football coach has been placed on leave.”It is possible that a coach could face charges in this incident,” Caputo said.A parent of a student who played football at the school said she was shocked by the allegations and was unaware of any hazing.The investigation remains ongoing.If you’re on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live