NFL player Jake McQuaide causes scene in church, demands answers in archdiocese porn scandal—escorted out by police

NFL players often make headlines for their performances on the field, but former Rams long snapper Jake McQuaide made waves for a completely different reason — and in a place far from any football stadium.

On a quiet Saturday morning at Our Lady of the Visitation Church in Green Township, Ohio, McQuaide stood up during Mass and demanded answers from the Cincinnati Archdiocese regarding troubling rumors about clergy misconduct.

Tense moment as NFL’s Jake McQuaide interrupts church to confront clergy in pornography scandal probe

It was an extraordinary moment for a man whose professional career has been built on consistency and discretion. Long snappers rarely find themselves in the spotlight, but McQuaide — a two-time Pro Bowler and veteran of 14 NFL seasons — didn’t hesitate to speak out when he felt silence had gone on long enough.The confrontation occurred as Jason Williams, chancellor of the Cincinnati Archdiocese, was reading a prepared letter from Archbishop Robert Casey. The letter addressed controversial claims that two priests had allegedly accessed pornography using a parish computer. While the statement emphasized that “no wrongdoing — either criminally or ecclesiastically — has been substantiated,” McQuaide wasn’t content to let the issue rest there.

“Please take a second. We want to put these rumors to rest. Can you answer this for me, fact or fiction?” McQuaide asked, invoking the spirit of Sister Aloysius from the 2008 film Doubt. He continued, “Did the priest use our parish computer to look at pornography? …True or false? True or false?” "You can look at pornography at your house, but you cannot do it here.”A tense moment unfolded in the sanctuary as churchgoers looked on.

When someone at the altar suggested it wasn’t the right time or place, McQuaide responded, “I’m sorry, sir, this is the time and the place. I will stand up.”His outburst was met with swift action — two Green Township police officers escorted him out. However, no charges were filed.At the center of the controversy is a report made earlier this year by church member Todd Zureick. According to a WCPO investigation and a report in the Cincinnati Enquirer, Zureick claimed to have seen explicit thumbnails and links to disturbing VR role-play content involving sexual assault and occult themes on a church-owned laptop.

The allegations were serious enough to merit an internal investigation, but the church maintained that nothing criminal or ecclesiastically inappropriate had been found.“Like gossip, the spreading of rumors is sinful, and we should all work to overcome this tendency of our fallen human nature,” the letter from Archbishop Casey read.Yet for McQuaide, who grew up in the area and attended Elder High School — a Catholic institution within the same diocese — the issue seemed too serious to ignore. With 197 NFL games under his belt, and a reputation built on discipline and precision, McQuaide’s decision to speak out publicly speaks volumes about his personal convictions.Also Read: “Die for playing with my son”: Offset threatens violence after Stefon Diggs debuts matching braids with Cardi B’s son