OSG High: Another School FB Season Canceled From Hazing

((HT: MyFoxPhilly))

The HQ told you last week about the Sayreville (NJ) program that had its season yanked out from under itself because of a massive hazing situation by senior leaders upon freshman players.

Now, a program in suburban Philadelphia is following suit.

Central Bucks (PA) West High is marching through those same steps on the eve of Homecoming. Their varsity and junior varsity team's schedules, as well as the coaching staffs associated, have been suspended

Superintendent David Weitzel released a statement on the Central Bucks School District website:

“Based on all available, verified information gathered from an ongoing internal investigation into allegations of improper conduct by numerous Central Bucks West football team members, and the failure of the coaching staff to properly supervise activities, swift and firm action is absolutely necessary.”

Here's the story from CB West
FOX 29 News Philadelphia | WTXF-TV

ABC6 describes one of the alleged hazing activities- the "sugar cookie."

OSG High: 7 Charged In Sayreville Hazing Case

((HT: NJ.com/Stanmyre, Epstein))

Matthew Stanmyre has been all over this disturbing case since the beginning and now we have the next step where 7 Sayreville (NJ) High players have now been charged as the hazing allegations have turned into detentions for 6 while one is still being sought.

And this is messy...

From the article:

According to Prosecutor Andrew Carey, three were charged with aggravated sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual contact, conspiracy to commit aggravated criminal sexual contact, criminal restraint, and hazing for engaging in an act of sexual penetration upon one of the juvenile victims. One of those defendants and four others were charged with various counts including aggravated assault, conspiracy, aggravated criminal sexual contact, hazing and riot by participating in the attack of some of the victims.

According to the complaints filed in the matter, one or more of the players held victims against their will, while others improperly touched victims in a sexual manner. In one case, one of the victims was kicked during an attack, said the prosecutor's office.

Those found guilty would have to register as sexual offenders, but none of the player's names have been released since they're all under the age of 18. Jail time could be substantial- even for juveniles in the case and no coaches or school supervisors were charged yet.

Prevailing opinion is that head coach George Najjar did not know about the alleged hazing in the locker room. Regardless, Najjar may not survive as head coach because of the huge responsibility that goes with the head coaching title.

Asked about the scandal, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said that “if these facts as alleged are true, then this is a nightmare for the parents of those young men and it tells us something about the attitude that was allowed to pervade in that program. And both of those things need to be addressed.”

Here's the latest from War Memorial High
((HT: CBS New York))

OSG High: Sayreville Parent Reveals Sexual Nature Of Hazing

((HT: NJ.com/Stanmyre))

Matthew Stanmyre has been on top of this more disturbing-by the day story about the Sayreville (NJ) High football team and the reasons behind the suspension of the remainder of the 2014 high school football season.

One parent has spoken to Stanmyre, on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal within the community, and the information is beyond disgusting:

"...a freshman football player would be pinned to the locker room floor, his arms and feet held down by multiple upperclassmen. Then, the victim would be lifted to his feet while a finger was forced into his rectum. Sometimes, the same finger was then shoved into the freshman player’s mouth."

And, it apparently, happened almost every day in the fall...

Police are still investigating the allegations.

At a very heated school board meeting Tuesday evening, parents spoke out on the decision and what they heard from their children about the alleged hazing incidents...

Here's Madeline Thillet, a nother of one of the players...

OSG High: Sayreville High FB Season Cancelled Amid Bullying Scandal

((HT: NJ.com/Stanmyre))

The HQ is (at the same time) disgusted, not surprised, and pretty pissed at what seems to be going down at Sayreville High In New Jersey at present.

The football team has won three titles in the last four years- but they won't win one this season since the school superintendent suspended the rest of their schedule (and the schedules of the middle school and junior varsity squads as well) after an investigation found:

"there was enough evidence to substantiate there were incidents of harassment, intimidation and bullying that took place on a pervasive level, on a wide-scale level, and at a level in which the players knew, tolerated and in general accepted."

Here's the latest from the high school


So we have alleged hazing that was out of control and, in a separate investigation, a coach resigned amid allegations of steroid possession.

Nice...

The investigation is ongoing and Sayreville's coaches and other school personnel are being told not to comment on a matter that is under review.

DEVELOPING: UNC Under Hazing Investigation With Football

((HT: WRALSportsfan.com))

Yahoo!Sports Pat Forde and Eric Adelson have a story up centering an investigation of UNC's football team. A walk-on freshman, Jackson Boyer, was apparently involved in something that left him with a reported concussion. The incident happened allegedly during camp at a Chapel Hill hotel.

The school gave a statement through Kevin Best, North Carolina's assistant athletic director for communications- and that's it: “We are aware of an incident involving members of the UNC football team that took place earlier this month. We take this allegation seriously and the University is conducting a thorough review.”

The Tar Heels, were 7-6 last season, and start their 2014 campaign Saturday at home against Liberty.

Here's highlights of the Spring Game as the Tar Heels look forward to this season...


And, for the record...
Here's the school's hazing policy for the record...

New Mexico Cancels Women's Soccer Opener Over Hazing Investigation

((HT: KOB-TV))

This weekend was supposed to be the opening of the New Mexico Lobos women's soccer season- a home game against Texas Tech.

That got wiped off the board as the school is in the middle of an investigation of an alleged hazing incident from the weekend.

Here's the latest out of Albuquerque


The hazing investigation stems from allegations that the freshmen who have left the team are now making against the women's soccer program. A parent of one of the players who left and a lawyer now associated with the case have been retained by one of the players- both confirmed the allegations made in the case.

“We are continuing to interview student-athletes and investigate what happened on Sunday night,” UNM Vice President of Athletics Paul Krebs said when asked about the investigation. “I’ve consulted with Texas Tech, and in light of our continuing investigation, we have decided to cancel the game.”

The game won't count in the standings (as a win or a loss) since the 2014 NCAA Soccer Rulebook's Rule 7.4 states, "When a scheduled game is terminated before it begins, it is recorded as 'no contest.' Neither team is credited with a win or loss, regardless of the reason the game was terminated."

UNM women's soccer practice was canceled Tuesday and the first home game (now) is listed as being September 12th.

ICYMI: Latest on Dolphins Story: The Team Speaks and Other Updates

Admittedly, we are catching up on things here with the Miami Dolphins/Jonathan Martin/Richie Incognito story, but they are nonetheless very interesting.

Dolphins coach Joe Philbin spoke to the massed media Wednesday afternoon. Aside from mentioning NFL commissioner Roger Goodell tasking special counsel Ted Wells to look into the issue, he did not go into any detail on the issue.

Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill said that Incognito was great in the locker room and one of the team leaders, he saw nothing to indicate there were issues. He also added that if anything happened to Martin on the field, "Richie was the 1st one to have his back". He also told the assembled mass that "If you asked Jonathan Martin who his best friend is on this team two weeks ago, he'd say Richie Incognito".

For those who've missed it, here's where things stand. Tuesday night, Omar Kelly of the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel reported from at least 2 Dolphins sources that team coaches had encouraged Incognito to help "toughen up" Martin during the preseason.

No details on what that meant or how it was supposed to be interpreted, but the implication would be that there was a reason Incognito was on Martin's back so hard. The request came after Martin missed an offseason OTA (Organized Team Activity)

The catch being it appears he went to far.

Philbin addressed that by telling reporters that coaching players is to do what is "In their best interest to make them better players". When asked if he thought Martin was tough enough he said Martin "Came in here and worked hard every single day".

Read Kelly's Sun-Sentinel story RIGHT HERE

Amidst the reports of racially tinged texts/voice mails between Incognito and Martin comes a report from Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.

Salguero says that most of the black players on the Dolphins team consider Incognito one of them. Or for lack of a better way to put it, an honorary black man. And many of those players did not say they disliked Martin, but rather, according to Salguero, they considered him soft. But does that justify going racial with Martin?

Read more on Salguero's Miami Herald story RIGHT HERE

And the latest is this: The league has appointed

The challenge here is to discern between hazing, teasing, and wanton aggressiveness. And the question is this: How do you prove any of those?

On the surface, yes, it appears multiple lines were crossed. And there should be repercussions for crossing them. But a Football Team is not a "Traditional Workplace".

It appears, based on multiple reports, Jonathan Martin had trouble adjusting to the NFL life. But that does not make him any less a victim. The NFL has a big issue on its hands here. How do you discipline for this?

How do you fire Incognito for doing what he was asked to do (though he may have gone too far)? Nobody seemed to be worried enough to stop it.

How do you make things better for an obviously talented kid (Martin), who appears more sensitive than the average NFL player? It should not mean there isn't a place for him, but how does he walk back into a locker room without being ostracized?

We've said before, an NFL locker room is not a perfect place. There are things done and said there that would not happen in other workplaces. Hazing happens in football, it has for decades. Not always to this extreme. Having rookie traditions is something that's happened for decades. And it happens in other sports.

How do you patrol this? That should be the job of the coaching staff. They are the managers. They are the bosses. Someone in this situation should have stepped up and said "Back Off." The problem is...nobody did.

Warren Sapp addressed going up against Incognito in a game... and didn't seem all that impressed...
((HT: Audience Network/Dan Patrick Show))


Next question:

Was there a vacuum in the discipline from the coaches on the Dolphins staff....???
Here's Rosh Lowe with the beginning of team coverage...???
((HT: WSVN-TV))
WSVN-TV - 7NEWS Miam Ft. Lauderdale News, Weather, Deco

So, to put the question in another context...

Who ordered the Code Red...???

OSG High: Haiku Gets FB Player Kicked Off Team, And Then, Not...

((HT: WJW-TV))

Nick Andre was a starting DE for his high school for Rittman (OH) High and his team was in the end of a 1-7 season...

He was asked to write a poem on something in class and Andre took on the ideas of the cliques of his team and its problems. After the peom was read aloud in class the administration felt that they had decided that Andre "Wrote a mean and disrespectful poem about another student and our athletic director/head coach." The principal classified the poem as “hazing, harassment.”

As a result, Andre was suspended for four days and everyone started screaming from the high heavens that the school was wrong in what they did...

Here's the explanation...


Strangely enough, after everyone started taking the school to task for violating Andre's First Amendment rights of free speech, the superintendent of the Rittman School District says the suspension has been overturned, and the junior defensive end has been reinstated to the football team.

Shocking, I know...

The Return Of The Marching 100

((HT: ESPN))

Before the MEAC/SWAC Showdown in Orlando, the Florida A&M University band- the "Marching 100"- took the field for the first time on almost two years after being banned after the hazing death of band major Robert Champion.

FAMU's interim president, Larry Robinson, released this statement in announcing their return:

"This band will be a model of excellence for other bands across this nation. It will actually focus on its founding principles of character, academics, leadership, marching and service," Robinson said. "When you look at all these actions that we've taken in total, we are fairly confident that we are about to launch a new era and a new understanding and appreciation as to why hazing is not necessary to advance these principles."

Here's their pre-game return...


Fifteen band members were charged with manslaughter and felony hazing in Champion's death two years ago. Seven have accepted pleas. One more has pleaded, but hasn't been sentenced. The rest are still awaiting trial.

But Champion's mom thinks it's still too soon for the band to get back on the field...

"I do believe that it's too soon,"Pam Champion said. "I don't see anything that's different to ensure the safety of those students. Everything that has been put in place is not something that was done voluntarily."

The Champions think the return is looking at the money that can be gained by reinstating the 100 and having them perform.

Hey, Those Headsets Cost Money, Y'Know...

((HT: FS Ohio/MLB))

As is the Fox Network way over the last few years, they try to have instances during the game where an in-game interview yields some kind of tremendous insight...

During the Indians game Monday night, Justin Masterson (who wasn't pitching that night) was the interviewee...
And his teammates tried to unsettle him during the whole thing...


The HQ gives Masterson credit for his unflappable behavior- he may have a future in television before it's all said and done...

FAMU Hazing Incident Upgraded To Manslaughter

((HT: WCTV-TV))

Defense attorney Bill Sharpe says he got an email from the Florida state attorney's office telling him that the charges against his client, Rikki Wills, would be upgraded to manslaughter.

Prosecutors are charging ten Florida A&M band members and two other individuals in the 2011 hazing death of drum major Robert Champion.

Champion died in Orlando in November of 2011 at the FAMU-Bethune Cookman game after he collapsed on a band bus. Prosecutors maintain Champion was beaten so severely that he was substantially bruised and had internal bleeding.

Prosecutors maintain it was a hazing incident that ended up killing Champion.

Here's a story that Outside The Lines ran a year ago uncovering the culture of hazing at FAMU
((HT: ESPN))

Canadian University Suspends Baseball Team For Hazing

((HT: Sportsnet 590 The Fan))

Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario has suspended its varsity baseball team for a minimum of four games for hazing- a violation of the Student Athlete Code of Conduct.

The university says the hazing violated the school's student-athlete code of conduct. The Golden Hawks baseball team is 4-4 this season with 12 games remaining. There is a chance the ban could be extended to the whole season, but school officials said they wanted to first give the team a chance to make their case for playing out the remaining games of their season.

The school is asking for a "meaningful rationale" as to why they should finish the year.

 In a release sent out by the University their ownselves, campus big-wigs were less than happy...  

"Our Student Athlete Code of Conduct makes it clear that Laurier will not tolerate any form of hazing among our varsity athletes," said David McMurray, vice-president of Student Affairs. "While a full-season suspension is justifiable based on an investigation of the incident, we believe it is important to offer these student athletes the opportunity to engage in a more meaningful learning opportunity that, in addition to tangible consequences, encourages reflection and accountability." 

"If teams defy the university's zero-tolerance policy on hazing, then they will be denied the privilege to play for the Golden Hawks," said Peter Baxter, Laurier's director of Athletics and Recreation. "It is a tough lesson that must be learned but a necessary one so that we ensure the culture of hazing is eradicated."

Here's highlights of some of their season to date... ((HT: LaurierAthletics))

Which may be the end of their season...
Jus' sayin'

DEVELOPING: Marching 100 Suspended Through 2012 Academic Year

Florida A&M President James Ammons is recommending that the Marching 100 band remain suspended through the 2012-2013 academic year.

"We will continue to work with the music department...especially those students that were in the band," Ammons said to the Board of Trustees.

FAMU is now having to explore different ways to celebrate halftime for their school's football games this season. The HQ thinks that there will be a severe decrease in attendance this season across the board and the school only has themselves to thank...

"The FAMU Board Of Trustees hope people will support the football team: band or no band. We need die-hard Rattlers now more than ever," one trustee said in the release from the school after the meeting.

Eleven FAMU band members face felony hazing charges stemming from drum major Robert Champion's death back in November. Two others face misdemeanor counts. Ammons suspended the band soon after Champion's death.

And that turned out not to be all of the shenanigans with the 100...

Last week, it was revealed that over 100 of the band's members last season were not even FAMU students at the time of Champion's death. Longtime band director Julian White then decided to retire when that revelation was made public.

Here's the concerns before the meeting, from our friends at WCTV...

BREAKING: Prosecutor Links FAMU Hazing Beating Death Linked To Multiple Blows

13 band members from the Florida A&M Marching 100 are set to be charged in the hazing death of drum major Robert Champion after a football game last November, according to the Champion family attorney and the Associated Press.

According Christopher Chestnut, Champion's family has been told that 13 students will face either felony or misdemeanor hazing charges. He said the family was disappointed because it had hoped for more serious charges.

Champion was punched, kicked and suffocated by fellow band members who has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the charter-bus company and bus driver. There were as many as 20 people on the bus who allegedly witnessed the incident after the Florida Classic on November 19th.

Since Champion's death, 7 more members of the band have been charged in more hazing incidents. In December, three students were arrested on charges of hazing a freshman so severely that they broke her leg. In January, four other students were each charged with misdemeanor hazing.

From Denise Marie-Balona at the Sentinel:

The four were accused of either participating in or failing to stop the hazing of five pledges who were trying to join a clique affiliated with the band's clarinet section known as the "Clones."

During initiation meetings that began about September 1, pledges were lined up by height. They were punched, slapped or paddled and forced to exercise and play music, according to police.

11 of the 13 people charged in Champion's death face felony hazing charges.

More when we know more...

1630 UPDATE: Here's early returns from WCTV-TV


At least two of the people charged in the hazing death of Robert Champion have been arrested and brought to the Leon County Jail as of 3PM.

FDLE agents in unmarked cars got out and escorted them into the booking office in Tallahassee.