Does heknow this for sure? And you know, I'm panicking.". But the school district, which canceled the football season last fall, has now, after seeing the grand jury report, relieved the coaches of their teaching positions at Mepham. Says one Mepham parent, Werealways in competition with the upper class., The kids on Kennedys football team know theMepham team, and theyre a little afraid of someof them. display: none; Anotherparent, Jim Rullo, delivers a prepared statement onbehalf of the victims families. I went to summerschool with them. The lineman, he says,was always starting fights. He was benched for two years as the lawsuit creptthrough the legal system. More than 60 players attended the camp, including the boy's best friend Patty and Jimmy's son who was also just 13. These individuals hope to be part of something special, whether its achieving individual goals or team goals. When parents came to an emergency meeting on September16 with the principal and superintendent, they heardnot mea culpas but accusations. 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). Decent football player, though.. If such a policy had been in place, one of the attackers would not have been allowed at the camp, the report says. Terms of Service apply. Watch this highlight video of the Mepham (North Bellmore, NY) football team in its game Recap: Mepham vs. MacArthur 2022 on Nov 4, 2022. "My son came forward, did something that he did not want to do. What I know about the Berger incident isit did not involve hazing. Just because someone shows up and participates, doesnt not mean they deserve the same treatment as everyone else. So it just goes on and on. Reichstein triedto stare the lineman down. Full speed," says McElroy. ", "Did a parent come and complain to us? Its the kind of bar where people stillsmoke and no one cares. Mepham victims file suitCharge Central District officials knew about Youve got some Janning to do! The sentences are indeterminate, but will be reviewed every four months. Regardless, I was all about making them the best well-rounded people before they head into the cruel world. Diasparra cut a deal and received probation. Students moved from one cabin to another without the coaches' knowing, the report says. The issue spans to not only the professional level, but the high school and collegiate divisions as well. Sofia LaSpina first Long Island female football player to score TD At this point, though, those feelings have mostly worn off, replaced by a different set of reactions, from weary resolve to dark humor. Over the course of five days, their sons were brutally sodomized by their teammates. It stated that, at the camp,. Some have hired lawyers for their children. JUDGE SLAMS MEPHAM HAZERS - New York Post Did you know that depending on the sport, students who play sports in college most likely have less than a 2% chance of becoming professional athletes? Once in high school, senior athletes have scouts that come out to see them play. Long Island high school rocked by lurid football hazing scandal This is hard tosayI know he was a good coach and a lot of kidsliked him. Theyre big football players who look andact like football players, says Jesse.Big and aggressive., The lineman was yelled at a lot,remembers another boy. South Side. They feel a sense of guilt and shame that holds them back from saying anything and we see this is the Mepham High School Football case. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. No! And his youth. '', 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. The crime scene evidence that convicted Alex Murdaugh The team did it along with some guidance from my assistant coach and the parents. When a. Statistically showing, at least 100,000 college football players get hurt yearly. But are they really fortunate? Ken Carney, 16, the ringleader of the attacks, was well-known by school administrators as a disciplinary problem. Treat others with the respect that you wouldlike to receive. Act appropriately. Or as David Woycik, who represents another victim,puts it: Theres bound to be a movie madeabout this., This is not what Isigned on for when I tried to do the rightthing, says Vic Reichstein. Mephamsstudent body is pulled from the northern part of thecommunity, where there are $50,000-a-year jobs and theschool parking lot is dominated by Chevys and Fords. Go ahead. "They had bags of ice and they were bashing it all over his body until the bags broke. Football: State record broken in Holy Spirit's Thanksgiving win over Terroristicthreats. But for the victims' families, the report came as a vindication, they said. mepham high school football scandal. 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.. Mepham High School Football Scandal - nymag.com What went wrong? 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. The star lineman towersover most of the other pallbearers. That washazing! "Yeah," says Cannestro. The coaches, who supervised the trip, say that they had no idea any of this was happening during the camp. Coach speaks out for first time on LI football team hazing allegations 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.. Dominick Novello, Mepham battle through tough conditions to advance to 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. He was one of four captains chosen by CoachMac his senior season. 28 - 13 W. 10/22/2022. Everyone should be so lucky.''. 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. I told him what hazing was, he says.I did not explain to him that hazing wasgolf balls, broomsticks, and pinecones.Reichsteins son was unharmed; three otherfreshmen werent so lucky. What we're saying is, I notice when somebody's limping. The conversation easily shifts to a defenseof Coach Mac. In the southern reachesof Long Island, nestled between the bucolic SouthernState Parkway and the fast-food joints and cardealerships on Sunrise Highway, the four small townsof Bellmore, North Bellmore, Merrick, and NorthMerrick make up a solid community of working- andmiddle-class families. In an earlier proceeding, the three attackers, charged as juveniles, admitted to the assaults. For Carol's son, it doesn't end. At middle schools, high schools and colleges across the country, everyone is arguing over whether or not students with failing grades should be allowed to play sports. 1999, McAlester High School, Oklahoma: A football player suffered a head injury after he was jumped by older teammates in a locker-room hazing. Bellmore Journal; Life Goes On but Is Altered After School Scandal, https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/20/nyregion/bellmore-journal-life-goes-on-but-is-altered-after-school-scandal.html. At least one group of parents has decided they will continue to speak out. That decision ''let down and insulted the victims and their families,'' the report says. At this point, the victims would have already suffered numerous attacks. "The bottom line is, if we did anything wrong, we wouldn't be sitting here talking to you," says Cannestro. display: block; This was the 94th meeting between the two schools . #inline-recirc-item--id-a617c056-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d, #right-rail-recirc-item--id-a617c056-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d { Kevin McElroy, the man in charge of the football camp and Mepham High School's head coach, has remained silent for the last six months. This story has been shared 140,209 times. A day later, the three alleged victims are stillhaving broomsticks thrown at them from cars in theparking lot. On October 6, heannounced that that was his intention. Anyplayer that wants to be on the football team can be onthe team. '', ''This is a wake-up call,'' said the father of one of the victims, who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect his son. We were afraid they would walk away with probation.. I am 13 years old and I am on the Friendswood junior high C-football team I am a second string slot receiver and starting strong safety and I 'm also a second string strong side linebacker it was our last game of the season,so we really wanted to go out on the win or a record for the season was one way in five losses and one tie,we hadn 't had a great season so we especially wanted to go out on a win. Hed just beat upon peoplehed be walking by andboom! Since returning from camp, he has barely slept. When I was in ninth grade, says Lohman,my father died and my mother wanted to move toFlorida. Trending News The coaches are suing to get their jobs back. When people talked aboutMepham, they talked about Famous Amos. Conway could have sentenced the three including Phil Sofia, 17, and Ken Carney, 16 to juvenile jail until they turned 21 or he could have given them probation. There were no screams like that.". This was a sexual attack!, Are we gonna argue about this? I think the kids covered it up to saveCoach Mac and save their season., Tending bar at Docs is Rob McDermott, class of95. A day later, the threeboys were suspended, and a student. Theyre sick of reporters, andtheyre worried about the lineman. "We went out. ''They continue to try to bury this thing and pretend they did everything they could, and that's just not true.''. Dont eventhink about sleeping at camp, he said. 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. Bellmore Journal; Life Goes On but Is Altered After School Scandal. Students ''don't know who to blame,'' said Allie. .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { "We're not suggesting anything about injuries. Everybody knew I got hazed in the lockerroom, he says. McElroy was practically a secondfather to Zereoue when the running back moved to ahome for wayward boys in Bellmorearriving, toMephams good fortune, at the start of hishigh-school career. Hes the man of the family now. Now the . 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. The Bellmore-Merrick school boards decision not to rehire the coaches next year has taken a stake and driven it right through the heart of the community again, said head coach Kevin McElroy. They reallycouldnt do anything about it. His broad shoulders are slumpedand trembling as he walks the coffin down the aisle ofSaint Barnabas Church in Bellmore, Long Island. (CNN) -- Five football coaches at a Long Island high school lost their jobs Wednesday night in fallout from an alleged . 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. For me, this challenge helped me develop as a person than will work harder and strive for the best in my academics. In the meantime, experts say violent hazings in high schools are becoming more frequent. Once rated one of the best academic high schools in the nation, Mepham High is now mired in scandal. They did not come to help me.Rullo quotes the parent of that child as blamingprincipal John Didden, who did not protect mychild., Four days later, Rullo and two other parents who spokereceive identical profanity-laced letters in the mail,warning that if they keep speaking out, theyllalso get the broomstick treatment. Athletes must commit time to practice and traveling. Mepham High School (North Bellmore, NY) Varsity Football - MaxPreps.com Who? (Almost as prevalent is the idea, notconfirmed by police, that the linemans fathercommitted suicide. He said his surgery was a success, but he needs time to heal before he can tour again. But its notthe only time I hear neighbors, even parents, floatthis notion. If you do something wrong, youd better go home and pack your toothbrush because youll pay the consequences, he told the teen. It's a couple of days.' Kids in the bunks didn't tell us. Hes well known as abully. 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 assumed he was homesick, so I said, 'Stick it out. Because if these attacks are acceptedas hazing, then the school is responsible. Mepham has big hill to climb against Garden City in battle of unbeatens Kids and adults are then forced to take a side on the issue for the good of the school and the safety of the children. And who you can expect to see performing and presenting. And McElroy neverprevented him from playing on the varsity team. We love our community. Rick Scott Is Unfortunately Right About Novak Djokovic. Reichsteins wife,Kristina, then begged Didden to make an example of thelineman. Did either coach notice anything on these children's faces? Not a lot of kids are good enough to play in the top college sports programs in the country. The coaches also showed 48 Hours a tape never before made public - one they say was recorded on the last day of camp. We dont beat guysup., Some of his old teammates have gathered to buy drinksfrom him. } 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. ", Patty says her son also hasn't recovered from the ordeal: "About a month ago, I had gotten a call from a neighbor. ''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. The answer to all those questions is no.". Hes dangerous, hes terrifying, hes an extra in, How to Watch the 2023 Oscars Celebrate All 23 Categories Live Again. 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. Many have lost sight of the fact that baseball players are not the only athletes that face this life threatening addiction. Sports in Mepham isvery big.. But my son says nobody knew he would cross theline., Andys son plays lacrosse. Meet the Long Island High Schooler Who Made History With a Touchdown MaxPreps is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. 2022 Fall Boys Football New York: Long Island Division II. "Standing up and giving a 'rah, rah' when my son and the other boys are hurting in this way is so disrespectful. When trying to become a professional athlete, one must start playing sports as early as possible (Ferguson 34).Playing sports comes with many sacrifices. He wrestled instead. At first, shock and disbelief prevailed. He says the coach started yelling.Hes like, No! Here's why food advocates are worried they cant afford it. 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. The problem was with thekidsand with the parents who brought them upthat way., Sothe parents. Two of the kids are underclassmen, littlekids, he says. Go to the back of theline.. But at a hearing in Honesdale, Pa., President Judge Robert Conway barred 16-year-old Tom Diasparra from returning to the Bellemore, L.I., high school and warned him to watch his step. 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. Try as they might to rid themselves of it, students, parents and other residents are finding that the incident is now woven into the fabric of life here. It's, like, they're monsters," says Patty. I should just sit there and go, 'Hmm, he's hazing him.' What's more, before camp, parents Victor and Kristina Reichstein say Carney threatened their 13-year-old son. Which mayexplain why Coach Mac, in his only public statement,has concurred with Caramore. The coaches let him go, the report says, ''because he was a good football player. As well as rebuking the attackers, the report criticizes the school system and the Pennsylvania judge who handled the cases. In the case of my four month concussion, there are residual mental and physical problems. The parishioners sing Make Me aChannel of Your Peace. And then the younglineman, who charged onto the varsity squad hissophomore year at W.C. Mepham High SchoolHomeof the Piratesis in tears. The group, which calls itself Mepham Parents 4 Change, consists of eight families, but says it is quickly gathering support. Thursday, November 6, 2003 Posted: 1537 GMT (11:37 PM HKT) Story Tools. Most students, the girls say, have not gotten caught up in the anger and recrimination that have divided their parents. The owner of the store posted a sign in his window earlier this month: ''We are Bellmore. We're going to all the sports stores. "Something happened in between those practices every single time, to my son. Most of the shit they did was pranks,like shaving cream, one Mepham boy tells me ona sunny Wednesday, a day before the funeral of thelinemans father. NEW 'REAGAN' DEBATE - GOP RIPS SHOWTIME FOR TAKING SERIES 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. Hugged by his team captain and cheered by supporters, Mepham HSs head football coach was fired last night and his four assistants got the boot, too. Mepham was known mainlyfor its wrestling program until Coach Mac arrived in1986. Who Is Jerry Sandusky Responsible For The Crimes At Penn State . Parents are paying up on school meals again. Rullo, now a community activist for change in his school district, says he received numerous letters and phone calls, including one that said that he and his family would die. The coach wentalong with canceling the season because he knew kidswere not coming forward. 10/08/2022. Future of Sayreville football coaches may hinge on supervision Those individuals who just made the team now deal with a problem that happens mainly from the. "He was laying in bed with a big butcher knife in his hand 'cause he was scared. 2023 Vox Media, LLC. Waiting outside in front of the hearseis a police escort, to ward off the media. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. Were happy as can be, said Carol, an aunt of one of the victims. ''Our issue is our children are being blamed,'' said Paule Pachter, one of the parents in the group. "The kid who just made the tackle," says Cannestro, identifying one of the players on the tape. Not like Wesley Berger, Vic says.Hes overexposed.. says Cannestro. Were doing this so they donthave to., In July, when Reichsteins son, an incomingfreshman, showed up for football practice, a junior onthe teamthe linemanstarted calling himand some of the other boys pussy,faggot, and cocksucker.Reichstein went to McElroy. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. These towns lost seventeenpeople in the World Trade Center attacks.Theyre places whose kids go to college locallyand then settle here and raise families. As she accepts her Someone to Watch award on stage. "He didn't go to school for a long time. And coming in, you expect it.Youre ready for it., From what I heard, the guys stuck his head inthe toilet, and that was it. Nassau County Girl Scouts fundraise for victims of quake in Syria, Turkey at Masjid Hamza, Powered by Creative Circle Media Solutions. At Mepham High School on Long Island, the entire football season was canceled after players admitted to sadistically hazing fellow teammates. I need to know for medical.' 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. Despite the linemans threats, noone could have anticipated what happened atcamp, Caramore told parents in a speech, adding thatwhatever happened wasnt hazing:None of us in Bellmore-Merrick has used thatterm to define what is, in fact, a brutalcrime., The hazing-or-not debate is a key factor in the legalbattles to come. "What constitutes a scream?" At 1:21 p.m. last Friday, the Mepham High School football and cheerleading squads should have rushed onto Mepham's field for a The boy was a member of the 2007 Charlton County High School junior varsity golf team. (516) 569-4000, To donate or for more information, click here, Chamber, mayors office are no match for the Thunderbolts. Everyone in the pews has heard how the father had beendevastated by the criminal charges his son was facing.Aggravated assault. They speak ofbroomsticks, pinecones, and golf balls. Anyone can read what you share. They were later suspended from classes on September 18. And don't you dare tell,'" says Kristina, who lobbied to get Carney thrown off the trip. Your sonwoo hoo!Hes having fun. Three varsity players are charged by Pennsylvania authorities with sodomizing three junior varsity players with broomsticks, pine cones and golf balls. A school divided Students split over Central board's decision to cancel . What's more, the 16-year-old ringleader of the assaults had his own history of disciplinary problems. Most are no longer talking about the issue publicly, tired of the maelstrom of feelings that is stirred each time. When Patty and Jimmy's son came home, he told them he had been sodomized, too. And would you let it happen a second and third time? He called the school boards decision 100 percent unjust.. I heard the kidliked it.. The priest declares that the father had nothingbut life ahead of him. 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. Brackets for the 2023 NJSIAA State Wrestling Championships in Atlantic Ultimately, its gonnabe a civil case. Abner Louima sued the New YorkPolice Department for $155 million, eventuallysettling for $8.75 million. What LAppartement 4F Co-owner Ashley Coiffard Put on Her Wedding Registry. Mysons season has been completely fucked up! Correspondent Peter Van Sant reports. The coaches, who slept in a cabin away from their players, said they knew nothing of the violence until a parent complained to school officials. McElroy says district policy discourages it: "To put a coach in the room, you're putting the coach or the adult right now at incredible risk of sexual charges.". All five lost their coaching positions. Now when they talk about Mepham, they use the wordssodomy and hazing. We have more wealthy backgrounds, saysDanny. Anger, fear in wake of Mepham attacks Parents afraid after football "I couldn't even process it in my head. Yeah, that shit gotfreakin blown up. He never brought this incident toMcElroys attention; he must have brought it tothe JV coachs attention. 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. In my opinion, a good education is so very important for our countrys youth, especially the athletes. Privacy Policy and Should they also get paid the same amount even if another co-worker is better at their job? (516) 569-4000, To donate or for more information, click here, Chamber, mayors office are no match for the Thunderbolts. Ke Huy Quan Continues His Winning Streak at the Independent Spirit Awards. Now even they, however, have grown weary, wishing for a return to their old life. 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. mepham high school football scandal - tourdefat.com Once the season started, eight players tackled him inthe locker room and lowered him into the toilet; thistime, he says, it contained urine. Weve been 0 and 8 since 1999!says James. Then it became a football school. Theyre a beautiful family. Hisfriend was a captain on the team, he maybe was gonnaget a scholarship. A failure can be a downward spiral or a setback turning into a benefit. He said, 'Well, your son was just online and saying he can't take it anymore.