‘Coach Bubba’ Mariani denies lewd acts with Boulder City players
An attorney made a not guilty plea Tuesday on behalf of a Boulder City coach accused of lewd acts on children.
Frank Mariani, 46, faces counts of lewdness with a child and child abuse or neglect. He appeared in Boulder City Justice Court for a brief hearing alongside defense attorney Tom Ericsson.
Known as “Coach Bubba,” Mariani served as varsity football coach at Boulder City High School.
In an arrest report, Boulder City police accused him of misconduct that included slapping players’ buttocks, instructing a player to create an AI video of two other players kissing, talking about dreams of him having sex with minors and reaching for a player’s genitals.
The allegations stem from the period between May 2024 and November 2025. Ericsson declined to comment after court. Mariani ignored a reporter who approached him.
Boulder City has hidden large portions of Mariani’s arrest report with redactions, contending that concealing the information from the public is necessary for the sake of privacy.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal is fighting the redactions.
“In hiding nearly all the information that supposedly justified Mariani’s arrest on suspicion of 10 felony counts, Boulder City has hurt public confidence in the case and, in fact, provided protection for Mariani and his friends in the community who have insisted for months that he did nothing wrong,” Executive Editor Glenn Cook said. “These redactions smack of a personal favor to someone accused of serious wrongdoing, whether that was the intention or not.”
High school principal Amy Wagner previously said that Mariani would no longer be allowed on campus.
He is due back in court June 2.
Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com.
