The Culture They Tried to Hide

Firsthand Accounts of Clay High Wrestling’s History

For months, we’ve been calling out the silence, the cover-ups, and the cowardice surrounding Clay County Schools and its athletic programs. And every time, the response is the same: “Old news,” “Let it go,” “That was handled.”

But here’s the truth: It wasn’t handled. It was buried. It was protected. And now, former students are confirming exactly what they thought no one would ever talk about.

This week, under a post about Clay High, a former Clay High alum didn’t hold back. He said:

“These Clay High folks are BIG MAD. Lmfao. I don’t know if they just don’t know how corrupt their school wrestling program has always been, or if they just don’t care. As a Clay High alum I know what has happened with that wrestling team since the 90s. Goes back to good old Peter McCabe covering up rapes and assault so they could go win a championship. The coaches who were there then, and still are, know this is true.”

When I acknowledged his comment, he doubled down:

“Yes, PJ Cobbert wrestled the years I attended. We were in the same grade. He was always an arrogant prick who was above the rules. Heard and saw him do some vile things, but faculty always looked the other way because he was a ‘good athlete.’ I feel like the behavior from the coaches just fueled his ego more and made him unstoppable. He was allowed to say or do whatever he wanted with no repercussions. That’s why kids don’t have a lot of respect for teachers… because they see the hypocrisy.”

This isn’t speculation. This isn’t rumor. This is a former student—someone who was there—telling the public that Clay High’s wrestling program was corrupt, toxic, and protected from the inside.

Why This Matters

When people say, “Why are you still talking about this?”—this is why.

Because abuse doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Predators don’t operate alone. They thrive in environments where adults look the other way, rules are optional, and protecting reputations is more important than protecting children.

This is the system PJ Cobbert came up in.

And let’s ask the uncomfortable question: How many people knew? How many coaches, teachers, and administrators heard the whispers, saw the behavior, and decided to do nothing?

One former student put it plainly this week:

“We all knew what was going on while we were attending school. You can’t tell me the faculty didn’t also know what was happening—especially those wrestling coaches who worked alongside old Pete. I mean, the whole school knew he was cheating on his wife with Ms. Hanson…. Kids are NOT dumb. So the teachers need to stop acting like they had no idea kids were being assaulted.”

Again, this is not about speculation or rumors. This is about a school culture where students were aware, faculty turned a blind eye, and the adults responsible for protecting children were allegedly more concerned with appearances than accountability.

It’s no coincidence that the same Clay High wrestling program now sits at the center of alleged pending lawsuits, hazing allegations, and community outrage. The culture that enabled this was built over decades—and too many people were willing to keep it hidden.

What’s Next?

To the parents, teachers, and board members who say, “This is old news,” let me be clear: What’s old is your silence and your excuses.

The students who were hazed, abused, and silenced deserve more than your apathy.

And no, we will not stop talking about it.

If you were a student, parent, teacher, or staff member who knows what happened—now is the time to speak. It’s not too late to do the right thing.

Your silence won’t protect your legacy. It will only protect the people who should have never been trusted in the first place.

The silence stops here.

The trauma of those who lived through this culture is not old news. It’s their present reality as it still affects them to this day. Many of them are still trying to heal, left hopeless for justice, and still waiting for the community to care about what happened to them.

Not to mention the retaliation that has followed every time someone dares to speak up against this toxic culture. Families who’ve spoken out have experienced intimidation, harassment, and attempts to silence them. That is not “old news.” That is happening now.

It’s a current event in the lives of survivors and those bold enough to speak up to demand change. Until there is accountability, it will continue to be a present issue.

And to be clear: This is not about tarnishing the reputations of current Clay High wrestlers. Many of these students are good, hardworking kids who have nothing to do with the failures of the adults before them. If you are not guilty, you have nothing to fear. But protecting today’s students also means confronting the failures of the past, so the same cycle is never repeated.