Leonard Lau steps in as Punahou’s interim head football coach as Kale Ane is placed on leave

Leonard Lau was recently called the patriarch of the “first Hawaii family of sports.” Now, at least for a while, he is the head of the varsity football program at Punahou.

He started work Friday after the school placed longtime coach Kale Ane on paid leave in the wake of allegations that he and other school officials did nothing to prevent sexual abuse of Punahou student-athletes.

Ane, Punahou’s 22-year head coach and one of the school’s athletic directors since the early 2000s, is among several school officials put on paid leave after recent lawsuits alleged sexual abuse of students, including female basketball players, by a Punahou assistant basketball coach.

The civil lawsuits were filed late last month naming Dwayne Yuen, a former Punahou assistant basketball coach, and the school as defendants, blaming school authorities including Ane for allowing the alleged abuse by Yuen to occur and continue.

“To preserve the integrity of the independent investigation into allegations at Punahou, all current employees identified in the complaints will be taking leave with pay,” the school said in a statement released late Thursday. “Our employees are not named as defendants in the complaints. They do, however, recognize the need for the process to be completed in the most forthright and objective way possible. Punahou supports their decisions and looks forward to a full and fair investigation of the facts.”

Ane has also held the title of co-athletic director, assistant athletic director or athletic director at various times since he became football head coach in 1998.

Lau is a Saint Louis School graduate who played receiver at the University of Hawaii from 1986 to 1990. He has coached high school football on Oahu more than 20 years, with previous stops at Kamehameha, Saint Louis and Aiea. For the past two years he has been Punahou offensive coordinator and associate head coach.

“The only statement I can make now is thank you for inquiring, but I can’t comment now,” Lau said when contacted Friday.

Lau’s wife, Daina, is a former UH volleyball player, their daughter Sarah played soccer at Manoa four years, and their son Ezekiel is a world-class pro surfer. Two more daughters are students at Punahou.

“We are grateful to Leonard for the leadership and guidance he will provide to the football program,” said Tita Ahuna, who is Punahou’s director of athletics for football. “We look forward to a successful year ahead.”

However, it is unclear because of COVID-19 if there will be a football season, and it is unknown how long Lau will be at the Buffanblu helm.

“I’m not retiring or resigning,” Ane told the Star-Advertiser on Wednesday, when asked about speculation that he would be permanently leaving his posts at Punahou.

The Buffanblu won state championships in 2008 and 2013 with Ane as head coach. Last season Punahou was 10-2 overall and 7-1 in the ILH, second to nationally ranked Saint Louis.

Ane graduated from Punahou in 1971, and after college at Michigan State he played six seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and one with the Green Bay Packers of the NFL. His father, Charley, was an All-Pro lineman in the NFL.

He declined to specifically address the allegations.

“No, I think it’s ongoing process right now,” he said. “Like all investigations you’ve got to wait until they’ve gotten through a bit more of the process.”

The Star-Advertiser’s Susan Essoyan contributed to this report.