All the while, older players watched and laughed. I think they hated me because I introduced the pull-up to their strength and conditioning program. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Tell me why I should just know? One was sent to a boot camp, another to a juvenile treatment facility and the third returned home on probation. Expect to be held accountablefor your choices and actions. Be truthful.From The Mepham Way, Mepham HighSchools honor code, 48 MINUTES OF HELL, A LIFETIME TO REMEMBERSlogan on a Mepham Pirates football T-shirt. says McElroy. However, some would argue to say high school football is too dangerous to keep around. "He was absolutely screaming. Treat others with the respect that you wouldlike to receive. Act appropriately. In that case, new players at. If you do something wrong, youd better go home and pack your toothbrush because youll pay the consequences, he told the teen. Mepham High School football hazing case tore Long Island apart in 2003. Watch this highlight video of the Mepham (North Bellmore, NY) football team in its game Recap: Mepham vs. MacArthur 2022 on Nov 4, 2022. "We're not suggesting anything about injuries. "Yeah," says Cannestro. When several parents received threatening letters after speaking out about the incident, emotions ratcheted higher. A day later, the three alleged victims are stillhaving broomsticks thrown at them from cars in theparking lot. Hisfriend was a captain on the team, he maybe was gonnaget a scholarship. This email will be used to sign into all New York sites. He strokes his sisters hair withone hand and slides an arm around his brothersshoulders. His broad shoulders are slumpedand trembling as he walks the coffin down the aisle ofSaint Barnabas Church in Bellmore, Long Island. Three varsity players are charged by Pennsylvania authorities with sodomizing three junior varsity players with broomsticks, pine cones and golf balls. All five lost their coaching positions. But it wasn't until Jan. 11, after a possible sexual assault that occurred the previous week, that the high school's school resource officer, Kim Wood, was made aware of the "ongoing harassment behavior toward a student/member of the varsity football team . He was just frightened," says his father, Vinny. Mary is athird-generation Bellmoron. Her boy,Kyle, played varsity. "We have a clip of the JV football scrimmage," says McElroy, who believes it proves that there was nothing obviously wrong. 18 - 35 L. 10/15/2022. Relatives read from the books of Matthew and Wisdom.And then the linemanwhom classmates call abully, who would shove kids hed never even metinto lockers as they walked bystands suddenly,stepping out from his place in the front, and walksback eight rows to give a bear hug to his littlebrother, seated next to his mother (who was divorcedfrom the father). South Side. Once rated one of the best academic high. Broomsticks dipped in mineral ice, a kind of liquid heat, golf balls, pine cones and toothbrushes, were all pushed into the boy's rectums. Carol said it appeared Conway had sentenced Sofia to the boot camp because he disliked the teens attitude. Werent theyalready on the right track? The parents are organizing to demand that the school administration be held accountable for allowing the incident to occur, they said. I was by far the besthalfback on the team, Berger says, now 23 butstill angry. "He said to him, 'Don't even think of sleeping at football camp. Touring the world with friends one mile and pub at a time; All the negative attention has galvanized them, they said. We dont beat guysup., Some of his old teammates have gathered to buy drinksfrom him. Why wasn't there a coach sleeping in the cabins? 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Canadian teacher with size-Z prosthetic breasts placed on paid leave, Buster Murdaugh got 'very drunk' with dad 2 months after mom, brother murdered: source, I'm a professional cleaner ditch these 4 household products immediately, Shoeless Ariana Madix awkwardly tries to avoid cheating Tom Sandoval, Prince Harry was scared to lose Meghan Markle after fight that led to therapy, Prince Harry says psychedelics are fundamental part of his life, Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant allegedly flashes gun at a strip club, Tom Sizemore And The Dangerous Burden of Desperation, Tom Sandoval, Raquel Leviss planned to tell Ariana Madix about affair. ", Patty says her son also hasn't recovered from the ordeal: "About a month ago, I had gotten a call from a neighbor. Ultimately, its gonnabe a civil case. Abner Louima sued the New YorkPolice Department for $155 million, eventuallysettling for $8.75 million. Thursday, November 6, 2003 Posted: 1537 GMT (11:37 PM HKT) Story Tools. When athletes experience head trauma, they only recover a little, which might end their career early or other times people never recover. With FamousAmos on the squad, the team made the county playoffsall four years. The coaches, who supervised the trip, say that they had no idea any of this was happening during the camp. Youve got some Janning to do! Correspondent Peter Van Sant reports. '', ''This is a wake-up call,'' said the father of one of the victims, who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect his son. "I assumed he was homesick, so I said, 'Stick it out. The coaches' lawyer and officials for the Bellmore-Merrick School District did not comment on the report's findings or its criticisms. After Dax Shepard asked her about her musical chairs relationship situation. I cried," says Carol, who asked her friend, Jim Rullo, to make a speech on her behalf. Were happy as can be, said Carol, an aunt of one of the victims. The owner of the store posted a sign in his window earlier this month: ''We are Bellmore. Whether its being in thelocker room, making sure everybodys on the samepage, rallying the troops, or making sureeveryones focused on the task at hand., How do you weed out the undisciplined players?On any high-school team, the seniors give you alittle bit of a hard time, he says. At a school-board meeting onOctober 1, packed with camera crews and angry parents,Superintendent Caramore tries to explain that hazingsimply doesnt happen at Mephamthatfootball was canceled not because of what the boysallegedly did but because their teammates neverreported it. One student lifts up another and dumps him, legs flailing, in a bush. He's back home on Long Island. I need to see a doctor,'" says Carol. Here's why food advocates are worried they cant afford it. "My son came forward, did something that he did not want to do. It would be the adventure of his life five days of intense football in the woods of Pennsylvania. Jonathan Anderson gets one of the first qualities of great fashion that it has to feel a bit strange. They were carried outover several nights, with several victims, one of whomrequired surgery for his injuries. Before the 68 varsity and junior-varsity players left the Long Island communities of Bellmore and Merrick to attend the weeklong camp in Preston Park, Pa., coaches warned the team that hazing would not be tolerated, and spelled out the edict in a note sent home to players' parents. What about, say, having your head flushed in a toilet? In my opinion, a good education is so very important for our countrys youth, especially the athletes. Webuilt a very good tradition with our team, and we justwant to make sure that anyone who wants to fit in onthe team knows about the tradition.. "He was laying in bed with a big butcher knife in his hand 'cause he was scared. On 10/22, the Mepham varsity football team won their home conference game against South Side (Rockville Centre, NY) by a score of 49-18. Over the course of five days, their sons were brutally sodomized by their teammates. Some tryouts are not far by any means, in which the coaches pick from not the skill but by the way they know the student. Of course this thing escalated tosodomy, Berger says. Because the National Football League sits on a higher platform, they bring in an exceptional amount of money compared to that, However, whenever hazing involves assaulting the victim, then it goes to another level. But its notthe only time I hear neighbors, even parents, floatthis notion. Yeah, that shit gotfreakin blown up. That hasnt satisfied parents whocomplain about the lost scholarships, the deflatedhomecoming celebration, and the fund-raisers for othersports, all of which depend on football and are nowruined, theyre saying, because of a couple ofmessed-up kids. When I was in ninth grade, says Lohman,my father died and my mother wanted to move toFlorida. Reichstein triedto stare the lineman down. Sofia was sentenced to the boot camp and Carney to the detention center both in Pennsylvania. The third player in the Mepham HS hazing scandal was sentenced to probation after he made a deal with prosecutors and provided information. The Mepham High School football season was eventually cancelled and the three upperclassman were charged with involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated assault, kidnapping, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, terroristic threats, criminal coercion, simple assault, reckless endangering of another person, ethnic intimidation, and criminal conspiracy. Judge Robert J. Conway chose to try the accused as juveniles. No. Password must be at least 8 characters and contain: As part of your account, youll receive occasional updates and offers from New York, which you can opt out of anytime. Hedoesnt have a senior season to put on hiscollege application., This guy comes to my job, says Andy.He says, Oh, Im in Mephamnow, maybe I should shove a pinecone up myass! I said, Thats notfunny. These guys on the team are gonna beharassed the rest of their fuckin lives., My son knows one of the boys who wasattacked, Mary says sadly. ''There's no question that they knew hazing had gone on for years, and they allowed it to go on,'' said Robert Kelly, a lawyer for two of the victims. Reichsteins wife,Kristina, then begged Didden to make an example of thelineman. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Touring the world with friends one mile and pub at a time; ut austin undergraduate majors Newsletter . The superintendent, while admonishing the team for notcooperating with the investigation, has also putforward a tidy defense of McElroy and the principal,Didden. At last nights meeting, one player called the coaches caring role models, and team captain Dan Cosenza hugged McElroy. A player tried to flush his head in a urinal. Some have hired lawyers for their children. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. But the victims told their parents they were screaming at the top of their lungs. And he's looking for something in the house to hurt himself.' College athletics are oftentimes not as glamorous as one would think. "The gastroenterologist said, 'What happened? How a tragic boating crash is connected to the family of Alex Murdaugh Full speed," says McElroy. Nor did he suspendthe three alleged perpetrators, and as a result, theywere allowed to walk the hallways of Mepham High fornearly two weeks. During the first day of camp, the hazing was minor, such as one player smearing gel and powder into another's hair. He went to camp but didntstay in the fated cabin. '', Report Says Hazing Culture Led to Attacks On 3 Athletes, https://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/11/nyregion/report-says-hazing-culture-led-to-attacks-on-3-athletes.html. If they have failing grades as well, the colleges are sending their students into the world without a real chance at becoming professional athletes, and without an actual education. ", "Did a parent come and complain to us? But for the victims' families, the report came as a vindication, they said. Due to the poormoral character of your children, Kristina saysCaramore told the parents, this investigationis not moving forward. She stood up and askedDidden twice if any child had been threatened beforethe camp incidents. It involved a fight amongteenage boys. Gavin Roman broke the state record for most catches in a season during Holy Spirit's 63-34 rivalry win against Atlantic City in Absecon. It has been 11 years since three football players, ages 15 to 17, from Mepham High School in Bellmore, New York, were criminally charged with sodomizing teammates during a preseason. School administrators, however, let him get on the bus anyway. That washazing! My father was agreat man, he begins, and tells a story of howhis dad once saw a crashed, burning car, pulled overand ran to help, and discovered that the guy trappedin the passengers seat was a friend. "He came to me and said, 'I'm bleeding. Over the next few days, the broomstick assaults were repeated. When tryouts begin these individuals hope their skills and abilities will get them recognized by not only the coaches, but the returning players as well. He even threatened teachers. Legendary football coach Joe Paterno was one of those who was fired, which shook up the coaching staff. Everything Everywhere All at Once has won in every category they were nominated for. Anotherparent, Jim Rullo, delivers a prepared statement onbehalf of the victims families.