Jake McQuaide, a veteran NFL player who attends a Catholic parish near Cincinnati, was escorted out of worship last weekend after a back-and-forth with a church official. During Mass on Saturday (May 31), McQuaide stood up at Our Lady of the Visitation in Green Township, Ohio, to ask about rumors that parish priest Martin Bachman watched porn on a church computer.
The incident occurred after Cincinnati Chancellor Jason Williams read a letter to parishioners from Archbishop Robert Casey in defense of Visitation staff. Casey’s letter indicated that the archdiocese investigated “several concerns” brought to its attention but that “no wrongdoing—either criminally or ecclesiastically—has been substantiated.” The letter also emphasized that “the spreading of rumors is sinful” and can harm reputations.
NFL Player Jake McQuaide: ‘I Will Stand Up’
Soon after Williams finished reading Casey’s letter, Jake McQuaide rose from his pew and shouted, “We want to put these rumors to rest. Can you answer this for me?” When Williams said this wasn’t the time, the athlete replied, “I’m sorry, sir, this is the time and the place. I will stand up.”
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Then McQuaide demanded, “Did the priest use our parish computer to look at pornography?…True or false?” According to livestream footage, he also said, “You can look at pornography at your house, but you cannot do it here.”
Police officers then escorted McQuaide, 37, out of the church as he stated, “I am not trespassing.” The athlete was not detained or charged with a crime. The archdiocese had asked for a police presence at weekend Mass, in case of disruptions.
McQuaide, a walk-on at Ohio State, played most recently for the Miami Dolphins and is now a free agent. He’s not the only Visitation parishioner concerned about the porn allegation.
Todd Zureick, who filed a formal complaint with the archdiocese in April, spoke out before Mass on Sunday (June 1). “There will be claims today that inappropriate material was not found,” he told worshipers from his pew. “It was. That is the truth.”
Zureick claimed he received images from a parish laptop that including links to porn sites and disturbing hardcore role-playing games. “It’s sad and embarrassing that the lack of institutional control and lack of leadership by our parish leadership has led to this,” he said. “A simple acknowledgement of the issue and taking responsibility would have allowed this to be handled with a scalpel in mid-April, but now it’s being handled with a hatchet.”
Parishioners love their faith community, Zureick added, and “would never wish this upon our parish.”
Archdiocese: Allegation Against Priest Is False
In response to the uproar, an archdiocese spokesperson said Visitation clergy Martin Bachman and Don Siciliano are both in good standing—and the allegation that Father Bachman accessed porn via a parish-owned computer is false.
The parish never issued Bachman a computer, according to the archdiocese. “As Archbishop Casey has stated, everyone faces particular challenges in life,” the statement read. “Priests are no different. The archdiocese will continue to assist its priests and employees with their personal and spiritual growth.”
Bachman will be going on a previously planned sabbatical in July, according to the archbishop. Local news outlets said the priest hasn’t responded to their requests for comment.
Police said there’s no evidence of criminal wrongdoing and that no investigation is underway. “Absent an aggravating factor, viewing pornography in and of itself would not be illegal or cause to launch a criminal investigation,” said Police Capt. Mitch Hill.
