From Mentor to House Arrest

Under District law, a person younger than 16 having sex with someone at least four years older constitutes child sexual abuse. One of Burroughs's assault charges is "aggravated": Prosecutors contend that he knew the girl was underage because he saw a document listing her name and age. She is identified in court documents only by her initials.

The investigation by D.C. police and the FBI's Human Trafficking Task Force continues "to the extent that there are or may be additional victims out there who would like to come forward," said Channing Phillips, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Washington.

Immediately after his arrest, police said, Burroughs acknowledged the relationship with the girl and said he had recorded some of their sexual liaisons on his cellphone.

But Burroughs's attorney, Kevin McCants, discounted that statement.

"I saw the tape[of his questioning], and the only thing I saw was, when they asked if he had an attorney, he said he did not," McCants said. "There is a lot of misunderstanding, a lot of assumptions and connections made, and the evidence is not there."

In court appearances, Burroughs's attorneys said they wanted him to be evaluated by an expert in sexual disorders.

"If he has a problem, let it be known," said Burroughs's father, James. "Because this is not the way I raised him."

Eager to Coach

At Bowie High, one of Maryland's largest secondary schools, Burroughs was in the broadcasting club and ran indoor track. He wasn't good enough for the football team, he would later say. He graduated in 1989.

He became a volunteer coach in 2002 after years of trying. Scott Chadwick, the head coach until 2001, refused to hire him. "There was just something about him I didn't trust," he said. "Honestly, he came off a little bit sneaky to me."

Only three of Bowie High's 13 football coaches are paid. Until Burroughs's arrest, there were no background checks of volunteers.

In interviews with more than a dozen former football players, they said Burroughs arrived at school well before practice, sometimes in his bus driver's blue work shirt, and stayed late, remaining with students who were waiting for their parents to pick them up. Often, he gave them rides home in his gold Range Rover.

Before games, he often went to IHOP with players, they recalled. Afterward, he joined them for chicken wings at Glory Days Grill, a roadhouse. He spent weekends with team members, playing football video games or watching games on TV, they said.