According to a local new report, two older students called the boy to the back of the bus and, in addition to the wedgie, punched the 13-year-old in the groin and stomach all as a part of an initiation ritual. 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. "Standing up and giving a 'rah, rah' when my son and the other boys are hurting in this way is so disrespectful. Full speed," says McElroy. "He was waiting for them [the coaches] to come in and save him, but no one came," says Carol's husband, Vinny. Both told stories of defending their school when they were teased by students outside the district and cited the ''Mepham Pride'' buttons that they and many classmates have taken to wearing. The police call what happened in August at thePirates five-day training camp a series ofAbner Louimastyle sex attacks (though,curiously, no student interviewed by police has evenmentioned Louimas name). And the report provides the most detailed glimpse yet into the weeklong football camp and the assaults that took place in two cabins last summer. (516) 569-4000, To donate or for more information, click here, Chamber, mayors office are no match for the Thunderbolts. No. We wanted them to be tried as adults, but we lost that battle. It's a couple of days.' All five lost their coaching positions. One was sent to a boot camp, another to a juvenile treatment facility and the third returned home on probation. In my opinion, a good education is so very important for our countrys youth, especially the athletes. Mary explodes. The issue of blame, however, continues to polarize parents and promises to loom larger as the criminal case moves ahead. They also understand they will need to sacrifice time, energy, and their social life in order to achieve these goals. Watch this highlight video of the Mepham (North Bellmore, NY) football team in its game Recap: Mepham vs. Long Beach 2022 on Nov 4, 2022. The kid that did it, I feel so bad forhim, the boy says. Were more Jewish! another kidyells, laughing. I ask. On September 17, the Bellmore-Merrick Central HighSchool District Board of Education canceledMepham's football season. All rights reserved. ''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. Colleges and the NCAA can make money selling jerseys and other souvenirs that might include the likeness of players, yet the actual players never receive a cent. Bells toll. Now the Reichsteins have written the stateDepartment of Education, demanding an investigation. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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For a select number of fortunate athletes, that dream becomes a reality when they commit to a school and sign their letter of intent. But these parents say the risk to their children was greater. I dont evencare what they did.. And his youth. But he wonders whether whathappened at camp could have been prevented if hehadnt settled his lawsuit. He triedseriously to treat him as a regular kid, like nothingever happened. A day later, the threeboys were suspended, and a student. Most of these scouts are from college teams, and others are from, Every year individuals from all across the United States makes the decision on whether or not they will try out for an interscholastic athletic team. I'm grabbing all the medication out of my cabinet and looking for everything that I think he's gonna hurt himself. Was there anything that indicated they were injured or traumatized? West Jersey Football League all-stars: United Division, 2022. Parents are paying up on school meals again. We as coaches donot see this incident as hazing, he said,but as a criminal act., Coach Mac has an attorney, Joseph Rosenthal, who isshifting the blame right back to the parents.The coach is a very dedicated, sincereperson, the lawyer says. Jonathan Anderson gets one of the first qualities of great fashion that it has to feel a bit strange. The group, which calls itself Mepham Parents 4 Change, consists of eight families, but says it is quickly gathering support. When the allegations surfaced in early September, the three accused teenagers were suspended from Mepham High School's football team. College football players should get paid to play because these players put themselves at risk for injury, college football is a job, not p.e, and it will help players adjust to college socially and economically. A player tried to flush his head in a urinal. Keep yourmouth shut, the letters read, andnothing will happen to you or your family.. On the second day, the incidents became brutal. Instead, they were treated as juveniles. Students have pushed their bodies to the limits, causing extreme injury that will hold them back from sports in the future. "He said to him, 'Don't even think of sleeping at football camp. maize high school basketball roster. The coaches, however, say that, in attempt to deal with Carney's threats to another member of the team, they put Reichstein's son in the cabin closest to them, and asked an upperclassman to keep an eye on both boys. According to the report, two of the attackers held down one of the freshmen while the third sodomized the freshman with a broomstick coated with Mineral Ice, a pain-relieving ointment. "I assumed he was homesick, so I said, 'Stick it out. That decision ''let down and insulted the victims and their families,'' the report says. "He was robbed of his innocence. But its notthe only time I hear neighbors, even parents, floatthis notion. And he's looking for something in the house to hurt himself.' 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. It looks like a tasty treat for any high school football fan. All the negative attention has galvanized them, they said. We were afraid they would walk away with probation.. Anyone can read what you share. What Made Maddy Run by Kate Fagan shows just that. Once the season started, eight players tackled him inthe locker room and lowered him into the toilet; thistime, he says, it contained urine. OK. "I couldn't even process it in my head. Clutching their schoolbooks in their arms, Allie and Sarah said they actually felt tremendous pride in their school these days. Everyone laughs. Berger says his friends persuaded him to stay off theteam. Should they also get paid the same amount even if another co-worker is better at their job? Offscreen, he was one himself. His broad shoulders are slumpedand trembling as he walks the coffin down the aisle ofSaint Barnabas Church in Bellmore, Long Island. A problem arises though once try outs are over and the team is announced. ''These assaults appear to have grown out of a history of hazing both at the football camp and at Mepham High School itself,'' the report says. But rather, in my opinion, how could the coaches have known?" Afew miles awaysouth of Sunrise Highway, down bythe blue water of East BayBMWs and Lexuses fillthe lot at the rival high school, John F. Kennedy.This was Amy Fishers high schoolthe richschool. OK? Some say that although they are shocked and angry over the incident, they are torn over whether the alleged attackers, still juveniles, deserve long prison sentences -- which they would face if they are tried as adults, as the prosecution wants. "They had bags of ice and they were bashing it all over his body until the bags broke. Not, 'Coach, things aren't good over here.' This story has been shared 140,209 times. Nor did he suspendthe three alleged perpetrators, and as a result, theywere allowed to walk the hallways of Mepham High fornearly two weeks. "He was laying in bed with a big butcher knife in his hand 'cause he was scared. Instead, thevictims were laughed at in the halls, calledfaggot and broomstick boy.The superintendent, Thomas Caramore, shielded theschool from inquiries at first. 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). Ke Huy Quan Continues His Winning Streak at the Independent Spirit Awards. Not a wink. We said, 'Are they hurting you?' ''They continue to try to bury this thing and pretend they did everything they could, and that's just not true.''. No one understands this better thanMark Alter, the lawyer for the alleged ringleader.The fact that its egregious allegationsdoes not necessarily mean its not a juvenilecase, says Alter. In 1994, Wesley Bergerwas a Mepham freshman, a football player with a shelfof trophiesMVP for the peewee league,fastest-runner and best-tackler awards. 10/08/2022. The guy grabbed me in front of the wholeteam, Berger says. He said, 'Well, your son was just online and saying he can't take it anymore. Since the scandal began, parents of students have squabbled among themselves and with members of the school administration over everything from the decision to cancel the football season to whether the school district could have prevented the incident. Two of the kids are underclassmen, littlekids, he says. On 10/29, the Mepham varsity football team won their away conference game against Sewanhaka (Floral Park, NY) by a score of 27-12. }, First published on April 12, 2004 / 5:10 PM. Kristina and Vic Reichstein stand upand say their son, a freshman, was threatened by thelineman during practice in July and August. The sexual assaults that occurred last summer among members of a Long Island high school football team sprang from old traditions of violent hazing that coaches and school officials could not curb, according to a report handed up yesterday by a Pennsylvania grand jury. PARLIN, N.J. - The investigation at a New Jersey prep football powerhouse that has led to sex crime charges against seven teens prompted an almost unheard-of . The grand jury report did not state that sexual assault had been part of hazing at Mepham High School or at past football camps (there were two before 2003). 1999, McAlester High School, Oklahoma: A football player suffered a head injury after he was jumped by older teammates in a locker-room hazing. 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 . Everyone in the pews has heard how the father had beendevastated by the criminal charges his son was facing.Aggravated assault. But the victims told their parents they were screaming at the top of their lungs. Mineral ice and especially that he now had, from the first time, a cut," says Carol. "The kid who just made the tackle," says Cannestro, identifying one of the players on the tape. When Patty and Jimmy's son came home, he told them he had been sodomized, too. MaxPreps is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. 2022 Fall Boys Football New York: Long Island Division II. 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. Relatives of the victims, 13 and 14 at the time of the attacks, expressed satisfaction at the outcome. Student athletes are not getting the opportunity to play multiple sports during the year, because they are expected to spelize in one sport and focus on it year round, leaving no opportunity to play other sports or do other activities. Hes dangerous, hes terrifying, hes an extra in, How to Watch the 2023 Oscars Celebrate All 23 Categories Live Again. Before lastmonth, Mepham High was generally known as anabove-average school with a robust athletic program.Fathers and sons have played for the Mepham Pirates,and Saturday football games are huge social events.The players are the schools heroes: With thepossible exception of Roone Arledge, Mephamsmost famous alumnus has been star Pittsburgh Steelersrunning back Amos Zereoue. In my mind, the school made a major error innot suspending these three allegedperpetrators, says Robert Kelly, an attorneyfor two victims. Yet to place responsibilityon any adult, coach or parent, means at leastpartially acquitting the kids; to suggest that someoneshould have stopped them is to believe that they couldhave been stopped. A perfect example would be a 13-year-old Georgia student riding a school bus received a wedgie during a school hazing incident so painful that his mother took him to the emergency room. At Mepham High School on Long Island, the entire football season was canceled after players admitted to sadistically hazing fellow teammates. Tell us how you did it coach. These words were forced into my face with a camera lens almost resting against my cheeks (page 395). The crime scene evidence that convicted Alex Murdaugh According to the nine-page report, the culture of hazing and a lack of supervision and safeguards to protect students led to the sexual assaults that occurred in August while Mepham's varsity and junior varsity teams prepared for the season at a camp in Wayne County, Pa. Students moved from one cabin to another without the coaches' knowing, the report says. A Pennsylvania judge imposed strong penalties yesterday on two teens who sexually abused younger players at a high school football camp sentencing one to a military-style boot camp and the other to a juvenile detention center. We dont beat guysup., Some of his old teammates have gathered to buy drinksfrom him. It stated that, at the camp,. Nothing.". Many parents, especially those with children on the football team, have found it hard adjusting to their new reality in the center of a fishbowl. Hes been introuble before, that kid. Who doyou think you are? said the lineman, accordingto Reichsteins son. I said, You wantto lock me in a locker and laugh for an hour, fine.But Im not down with urine, dude., At the beginning of his junior year, Berger says, heshowed up to start the season. David Woycik, a lawyer for the victims, said, My clients were relieved that [Sofia and Carney] will be out of the community and off the streets and they are pleased the judicial system worked to a certain extent.. As well as rebuking the attackers, the report criticizes the school system and the Pennsylvania judge who handled the cases. October 11, 2014 / 7:28 PM / AP. Mepham High School football hazing case tore Long Island apart in 2003. McElroy and his coaching staff claim they had no responsibility for a vicious alleged hazing incident at a training camp in Pennsylvania in August. Coaches, the report says, were oblivious to what was occurring. When members of a high-school football team on Long Island were accused of sexual attacks, the community was appalled . The coaches say they were staying in another cabin less than 50 yards from the players, and if anyone screamed, they would have heard it. This email will be used to sign into all New York sites. "He missed the whole first, basically, semester. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. "Everybody says we should just know. The district's superintendent, Dr. Thomas Caramore, defended the decision in a letter to the community earlier this month, saying the principal spoke with the boy and the coach before camp, and there was no way of anticipating the attacks. This story has been shared 140,209 times. Trust me been there done that, the most regretted thing about school sports for many are tryouts. But critics say their mistakes started early. 49 - 18 W. He was benched for two years as the lawsuit creptthrough the legal system. Signup for our newsletter to get notified about our next ride. Whos going to give him thatmoney now? I think hes adirtbag. The transition to college is not a walk in the park, but add a rigorous summer conditioning program, two-a-days everyday, and the pressures of coaches you have yet to impress, and you have a recipe for disaster. You may notstart, but youll be on the team.. Students ''don't know who to blame,'' said Allie. Then it became a football school. I want to bepart of the team.. Imagine your best friends making the school soccer team and you getting cut, because your not ready or there is no room. Reichstein triedto stare the lineman down. On October 6, heannounced that that was his intention. 28 - 13 W. 10/22/2022. He called the school boards decision 100 percent unjust.. When a. Statistically showing, at least 100,000 college football players get hurt yearly. The 15-year-old wide receiver became the first female football player in Long Island history to score a touchdown Saturday night, when. Pertzborn and assistant coach Brad Rogeberg were made aware of the initial bullying on July 24, 2022, according to the police report. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Now when they talk about Mepham, they use the wordssodomy and hazing. He alwayslistened. "These boys were like 6 feet 2 inches and 6 feet 4 inches, and roughly 250 lbs. In recent years, the Pirates havent done aswell, losing roughly as many games as theyvewon, but the coach remains a local legendafather figure who welcomes players to his house forbarbecues with his teenage daughters in attendance.Its not surprising, then, that McElroy and theadministration would be the first stop on thewhos-to-blame tour. But even those who are, still have an astonishingly low chance at making the professional leagues. Into the locker! Thepurported ringleader, according to police, was thelineman. No!! #inline-recirc-item--id-a617c056-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d, #right-rail-recirc-item--id-a617c056-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d { Theyre a beautiful family. Vic and Kristina have done The Early Show and20/20. "They couldn't be further from the truth," says Cannestro. Rick Scott Is Unfortunately Right About Novak Djokovic. MEPHAM COACHES BOOTED IN HAZING SCANDAL News MEPHAM COACHES BOOTED IN HAZING SCANDAL By Kieran Crowely November 6, 2003 5:00am Hugged by his team captain and cheered by supporters, Mepham. If such a policy had been in place, one of the attackers would not have been allowed at the camp, the report says. Nassau County Girl Scouts fundraise for victims of quake in Syria, Turkey at Masjid Hamza, Powered by Creative Circle Media Solutions. More than 60 players attended the camp, including the boy's best friend Patty and Jimmy's son who was also just 13. But the school board was unswayed by the coaches defenders. I don't have psychic skills. Ken Carney, 16, the ringleader of the attacks, was well-known by school administrators as a disciplinary problem. ''Our parents are being blamed. When parents came to an emergency meeting on September16 with the principal and superintendent, they heardnot mea culpas but accusations. So, no., But, you know, says McDermott, ifthey wanted to do it? Doyou know who I am?, The freshman, trying to show a little backbone,replied: This is America. Many have lost sight of the fact that baseball players are not the only athletes that face this life threatening addiction. Yeah, that shit gotfreakin blown up. The sentences are indeterminate, but will be reviewed every four months. Then came the civil suit, settled for apaltry sum, to cover medical bills.Berger got threatening letters: Keep singing,Berger, and youll see.. "Not once. But then come the off-color jokes about broomsticks and pine cones from his friends. The Nassau Conference II showdown between these two unbeatens has . He said no," recalls Carol. They had complained to the coach and the principal before football camp that their son, a freshman, had been bullied and threatened by one of the boys who was later charged in the attacks. Berger sayshe got up and called his dad, who went straight to thecoaches. It was horrible. Five football coaches at the center of the Mepham High School sexual abuse scandal will not be allowed to coach the team next year, the Bellmore-Merrick school board said on Wednesday. The third player in the Mepham HS hazing scandal was sentenced to probation after he made a deal with prosecutors and provided information. The coach wentalong with canceling the season because he knew kidswere not coming forward. And McElroy neverprevented him from playing on the varsity team. "Did I tell the perpetrators to go and do that to those kids? at Garden City. At last nights meeting, one player called the coaches caring role models, and team captain Dan Cosenza hugged McElroy. 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. In this case the youth should be tried as adults because of the severity of the incident and the emotional and physical effect that it had on the victim, It was six o 'clock at the Friendswood junior high mustang field I was playing strong safety and I had to cover the extra receiver they brought out by the snap I was already beating my man and the next thing I know the ball was sailing my way straight to me. "We're not animals. It was just too outrageous," says Jimmy. Including dishwasher-safe Japanese porcelain, two sets of French-made knives, and a sleek kettle. When athletes experience head trauma, they only recover a little, which might end their career early or other times people never recover. They were later suspended from classes on September 18. CNN. The school also erred by putting the coaches in one cabin and leaving the players in other cabins, supervised only by an older teammate, the report says. '', ''This is a wake-up call,'' said the father of one of the victims, who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect his son. "He [my son] called several times. Go ahead. What's more, before camp, parents Victor and Kristina Reichstein say Carney threatened their 13-year-old son. Here's why food advocates are worried they cant afford it. Not a lot of kids are good enough to play in the top college sports programs in the country. Mepham High School Football Coach Anthony Cracco's Sex Scandal Has Bellmore . That boy was not hurt at camp, but other kids were. The Mepham-Garden City football game this week could be a juicy one. After Dax Shepard asked her about her musical chairs relationship situation. This wasn't just something that happened when the lights went out.". Students should not have to tryout for school sports. Treat others with the respect that you wouldlike to receive. Act appropriately. For many years, people have been debating about whether sports teams for kids should have selective tryouts. mepham high school football scandal. The way they walked? (CNN) -- Five football coaches at a Long Island high school lost their jobs Wednesday night in fallout from an alleged . Watch this highlight video of the Mepham (North Bellmore, NY) football team in its game Recap: Mepham vs. MacArthur 2022 on Nov 4, 2022. Both coaches still don't understand why they're being blamed for what happened last summer at Mepham High School's football camp. In that case, new players at. My sons not. The abuse occurred day and night, and young players were attacked repeatedly and forced to sodomize each other, the report says. By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive email correspondence from us. However, some would argue to say high school football is too dangerous to keep around. ", Patty says her son also hasn't recovered from the ordeal: "About a month ago, I had gotten a call from a neighbor. Every year parents and students of local schools can come and enjoy seeing kids of their community playing football, which could make a player's future bright, and a grandparent proud. Wesley?Wesley was a nasty rat bastard! The answer to all those questions is no.". And one of the leaders selected joined with two other varsity players to sodomize these children. What we're saying is, I notice when somebody's limping. They were carried outover several nights, with several victims, one of whomrequired surgery for his injuries. , 2023-02-08, 18:25:23 How long has it been since you've licked a high school girls pussy daddy? Adds Jesse: Mepham kids say,Youre from Kennedy, and punch us.Theyre the bully school, the physical school.Even in middle school, we knew which kids were goingto Mepham and which to Kennedy.. Does heknow this for sure? The three attackers were charged with involuntary deviate sexual intercourse after they sodomized the younger players with pine cones, golf balls and a broomstick in August at a football camp in Preston Park, Pa. I went to summerschool with them. The lineman, he says,was always starting fights. One of the attackers was allowed to attend camp despite a history of disciplinary problems and not having a permission slip. The issue spans to not only the professional level, but the high school and collegiate divisions as well. Its all fun and games, saysMcDermott. Sofia LaSpina has etched her name in Long Island history. Anyplayer that wants to be on the football team can be onthe team. Did I do anything to those kids?" Should a person get paid just for showing up for there a job and not actually doing anything? However, it seems too important to let go. Where does it end?". In the case of my four month concussion, there are residual mental and physical problems. He used to play in the minor leagues and the team loved him because of his dedication to their lives and his credibility at baseball. We've received your submission. On a Friday morning in August, 60 kids were droppedoff for the bus ride to Pennsylvania. His dadsaved his friends life that day. The fact thatthese studies show the prevalence of this conduct inmany hazing situations supports a conclusion thattheres no reason to believe that this wouldhave occurred outside of such a setting, or abelief that such conduct would reoccur., Besides, he notes, the juvenile-justice systemaffords kids a second chance. Athletes must commit time to practice and traveling. He was just frightened," says his father, Vinny. In an earlier proceeding, the three attackers, charged as juveniles, admitted to the assaults. But the happy boys these parents sent to camp last summer didn't return that way. With FamousAmos on the squad, the team made the county playoffsall four years. "And if you had a broomstick stuck up your rectum, you'd be screaming and fighting forever to make sure that didn't happen, wouldn't you? We're checking it off. He gave his son a cellphone. Also it brings down students self esteem. Travis Barkers Finger Is Now the Enema of Blink-182 Fans. Diasparra cut a deal and received probation. Theres a no-cut policy. When several parents received threatening letters after speaking out about the incident, emotions ratcheted higher. I heard the kidliked it.. Terms of Service apply. Watch this highlight video of the Mepham (North Bellmore, NY) football team in its game Recap: Mepham vs. Long Beach 2022 on Oct 15, 2022, Watch this highlight video of the Mepham (North Bellmore, NY) football team in its game Recap: Mepham vs. Sewanhaka 2022 on Oct 29, 2022. No," says McElroy. During the first day of camp, the hazing was minor, such as one player smearing gel and powder into another's hair. "Something happened in between those practices every single time, to my son. The boy, wearing a regulation backward baseball cap,is standing at the schools west entrance. Parents are paying up on school meals again. At this point, the victims would have already suffered numerous attacks.