An NFL free agent was escorted out during Mass after confronting a priest over allegations he had accessed pornography using the parish’s computer. Jake McQuaide, a long snapper who played for the Detroit Lions during the 2023 playoffs, was attending 4:00pm Mass on May 31^st at Our Lady of the Visitation in Green Township, OH when he confronted Archdiocese of Cincinnati Chancellor Jason Williams about the allegations made against the church’s priest,  Rev. Martin Bachman. Williams was reading a letter regarding a criminal investigation made against Bachman written by Archbishop Robert Casey.

Casey’s letter stated “no wrongdoing” had been uncovered and that there were no ongoing “ecclesiastical investigations” against Bachman at this time. Casey also urged a cessation to rumors that have surrounded the church since the allegations were first made against Bachman. “Furthermore, recent rumors, for which no corroborating facts have been uncovered, are unsubstantiated. Rumors which quickly spiral out of control have the potential to severely harm the good reputation which each of us should enjoy,” urged Casey. “Consequently, like gossip, the spreading of rumors is sinful, and we should all work to overcome this tendency of our fallen human nature.”

McQuaide stood up after the letter was read and asked for clarity. “Please take a second. We want to put these rumors to rest. Can you answer this for me … fact or fiction?” he asked, while someone else in the church could be heard saying, “This is not the time for this.” McQuaide responded by saying, “I’m sorry, sir, this is the time and the place. I will stand up.” Green Township police were called and McQuaide was escorted from the church. Green Township police Capt. Mitch Hill stated McQuaide was not charged. He also said his department was not asked to investigate Bachman, while stating viewing pornography would not have necessarily been considered a crime.

In a letter written by Bachman himself after the incident with McQuaide, he admitted he had struggled with the deaths of his father and mother within a month of each other and had not allowed himself to grieve properly. “I have viewed adult pornography and engaged with some video games of an inappropriate nature, albeit never at the office and never on a parish-owned device,” Bachman admitted. He also stated he had lost “a significant amount” of personal money involving an online scam but vowed none of the money was lost from the parish. He shared that he had reported the incident to police. A 2023 police report uncovered by WCPO did note a complaint filed at 6655 Werk Road, a home owned by Diocese. The victim’s name was redacted due to Ohio law, but according to the complaint, the victim claimed he had lost $58,000 from an online investment account and that he was being extorted by someone he met online who vowed to “send pictures of their conversations to his parishes.” The conversations were apparently sexually explicit in nature.

During the 8:00 am Mass, parishioner Todd Zureick, who filed a formal complaint against Bachman on April 14, insisted Bachman had in fact viewed pornography on the parish’s computer. “There will be claims today that inappropriate material was not found. It was. That is the truth,” he said. “In late March, my wife and I received images from a laptop located in the parish office, operated by Fr. Bachman. These images showed thumbnails to pornography sites and links to multiple virtual reality role-playing sites involving pornography, sexual assault, group sex, rape, and occult themes.” According to the Diocese, Bachman will be taking a pre-planned sabbatical in July.