The head football coach of a Colorado high school football team has been placed on leave while facing accusations that he defrauded Medicaid of more than $400,000.
The charges against Highlands Ranch (Colo.) High School football coach John Trahan stem from his former ownership of Americas Children Dental Clinic, a Denver children’s dental clinic which the coach previously owned.
According to the Denver Post, Trahan has already denied any involvement in the day-to-day operations of the clinic, a claim he backs up by noting that he is not a licensed dentist. The Post reported that Trahan voluntarily asked to be placed on leave while he works to clear his name.
“The dental clinic has been closed for over two years. I never worked inside the dental clinic,” Trahan told the Post. “This is all a surprise to me. I am innocent of the allegations.”
In announcing his leave, Highlands Ranch did not cite the allegations against Trahan or mention the dental clinic at all, noting only that Trahan is “currently on leave.”
Trahan has spent just a single season at Highlands Ranch, joining the program in January 2018 after previously serving as the head coach at Smoky Hill (Colo.) High School. The Falcons went just 4-8 in Trahan’s first season at the school.
