"He was waiting for them [the coaches] to come in and save him, but no one came," says Carol's husband, Vinny. MEPHAM PARENTS TO PLOT ACTION - New York Post "He was screaming. 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. He said his surgery was a success, but he needs time to heal before he can tour again. The report criticized the Wayne County judge, Robert Conway, for his decision not to move the attackers' cases from juvenile to adult court. The coach told Bergerhe needed a physical. 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. Also, sleep-away sports camps will no longer be authorized by the school district, Billig said. 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. 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 grand jury says the five coaches who supervised the team were ''more concerned with being coaches of a football team than interested in the well-being of the players as students.'' For many years, people have been debating about whether sports teams for kids should have selective tryouts. Vic and Kristina have done The Early Show and20/20. But my son says nobody knew he would cross theline., Andys son plays lacrosse. Waiting outside in front of the hearseis a police escort, to ward off the media. We dont beat guysup., Some of his old teammates have gathered to buy drinksfrom him. After the coacheswent to sleep in their own cabin, at least threemembers of the team, ages 15, 16, and 17, allegedlyrubbed heat-producing mineral ice on broomsticks,pinecones, and golf balls and used those items topenetrate at least three freshman players while therest of the boys in the cabin all bore witness. Mepham victims file suitCharge Central District officials knew about "They have to be lying.". "The bottom line is, if we did anything wrong, we wouldn't be sitting here talking to you," says Cannestro. And he told us that they were keeping them up. 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. MERRICK, N.Y. On a crisp autumn night, hundreds packed a school auditorium, but not for a pep rally, for Mepham High School's football season was canceled before it even began. OK. 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. Travis Barkers Finger Is Now the Enema of Blink-182 Fans. We wanted them to be tried as adults, but we lost that battle. A day later, the three alleged victims are stillhaving broomsticks thrown at them from cars in theparking lot. Students should not have to tryout for school sports. Tryouts are the worst thing about sports, they bring nothing but more stress to your plate. Here's why food advocates are worried they cant afford it. But these parents say the risk to their children was greater. Now even they, however, have grown weary, wishing for a return to their old life. 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. ''Our issue is our children are being blamed,'' said Paule Pachter, one of the parents in the group. Touring the world with friends one mile and pub at a time; Here's why food advocates are worried they cant afford it. According to her, Didden said he wouldinvestigate the incident. And he stands where the priest stood and speaks,reading from crinkled sheets of paper rapidly, almostinaudibly, in a low monotone. 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. Murdaugh defense team plans to appeal conviction We've received your submission. His dadsaved his friends life that day. This story has been shared 140,209 times. As well as rebuking the attackers, the report criticizes the school system and the Pennsylvania judge who handled the cases. "They had bags of ice and they were bashing it all over his body until the bags broke. 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. He cites essays abouthazing from the Internet, including an academic paperby Elizabeth Allan of the University of Maine thatincludes in a long list of hazing activitiessexual simulation and sexual assault., The conduct took place in a juvenilesetting, Alter argues. He gave his son a cellphone. #inline-recirc-item--id-a617c056-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d, #right-rail-recirc-item--id-a617c056-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d { The coaches would have to be everywhere at thesame time, says Dave Hill. They were later suspended from classes on September 18. She says Didden said no twice.Thats when Vic stood up and called Didden aliar. 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. But it really happened., McElroys lawyer vehemently denies almost everyaspect of Bergers story. But its notthe only time I hear neighbors, even parents, floatthis notion. Students ''don't know who to blame,'' said Allie. He was benched for two years as the lawsuit creptthrough the legal system. 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. 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. Then it became a football school. "He missed the whole first, basically, semester. Experts: Parents and coaches must be vigilant to curb hazing in teen Mepham has big hill to climb against Garden City in battle of unbeatens One afternoon after practice, they air theirtheories, the chief one being that the lineman musthave been traumatized as a kid. The sentences are indeterminate, but will be reviewed every four months. I dont evencare what they did.. We said, 'Are they hurting you?' 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. 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. Over the course of five days, their sons were brutally sodomized by their teammates. He was dyingto play for the Pirateshed gotten AmosZereoues autograph when Zereoue visited hisjunior high. This has allowed more and more players to look to PEDs in order to gain an edge over their opponents. Nassau County Girl Scouts fundraise for victims of quake in Syria, Turkey at Masjid Hamza, Powered by Creative Circle Media Solutions. Nassau County Girl Scouts fundraise for victims of quake in Syria, Turkey at Masjid Hamza, Powered by Creative Circle Media Solutions. That kid wassick! says a player named Rob. And McElroy neverprevented him from playing on the varsity team. It would be the adventure of his life five days of intense football in the woods of Pennsylvania. The lineman was furious. Most high school athletes across America share one common aspiration: play their sport at the next level in college. Thanks for contacting us. That was until Berger started practicethe August before his freshman year. Reichstein called Didden, whose reply, according toReichstein, was that there was no hazing at Mepham,because if there were, wed cancelfootball season. (Didden and his attorney didnot return repeated calls.) It's the biggest week of the year for high school wrestling fans. One was sent to a boot camp, another to a juvenile treatment facility and the third returned home on probation. Anotherparent, Jim Rullo, delivers a prepared statement onbehalf of the victims families. Which mayexplain why Coach Mac, in his only public statement,has concurred with Caramore. 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. This was the 94th meeting between the two schools . ''Our parents are being blamed. 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. In the bunks, 17-year-old players were assigned to watch over 13-year-old boys. Just because someone shows up and participates, doesnt not mean they deserve the same treatment as everyone else. 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. "Did I tell the perpetrators to go and do that to those kids? He did more for me than any coach ever. We dontalways understand, and we dont alwayssee. He attempts a little levityIknow he shared his hopes for the Yankees with theLordbefore straining for profundity:The great artist has finished hisportrait. He urges the mourners to say a prayerfor the family. And don't you dare tell,'" says Kristina, who lobbied to get Carney thrown off the trip. Mepham High School Football Case Study | ipl.org He alwayslistened. They bashed him in his head, over his back, his legs, his arms," recalls Patty, who says her son was assaulted at least 3-4 times a day. He wrestled instead. A problem arises though once try outs are over and the team is announced. Once the season started, eight players tackled him inthe locker room and lowered him into the toilet; thistime, he says, it contained urine. 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. When a. Statistically showing, at least 100,000 college football players get hurt yearly. I want to bepart of the team.. Report Says Hazing Culture Led to Attacks On 3 Athletes School administrators, however, let him get on the bus anyway. Football coaches fired in alleged hazing aftermath Andbecause we were the group with Amos, our team isetched in his memory.. The father died on October 5a daybefore news broke that the lineman may be tried as anadult for some 26 felonies stemming from events thattook place over several late nights in August atMephams football-training camp in Wayne County,Pennsylvania. They were carried outover several nights, with several victims, one of whomrequired surgery for his injuries. Of course this thing escalated tosodomy, Berger says. What's more, the 16-year-old ringleader of the assaults had his own history of disciplinary problems. 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. , 2023-02-08, 18:25:23 How long has it been since you've licked a high school girls pussy daddy? It looks like a tasty treat for any high school football fan. Mineral ice and especially that he now had, from the first time, a cut," says Carol. Signup for our newsletter to get notified about our next ride. Dominick Novello, Mepham battle through tough conditions to advance to He told him to find a friend and never bealone. A captain is anextension of the coaching staff, he says,slipping into present tense to talk about his team.What the coaches dont control, thecaptains control. 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. 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.. 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. No. He triedseriously to treat him as a regular kid, like nothingever happened. The owner of the store posted a sign in his window earlier this month: ''We are Bellmore. Sofia was sent to a boot camp, and Carney was sent to a juvenile detention center. They reallycouldnt do anything about it. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. Not a lot of kids are good enough to play in the top college sports programs in the country. The school's 2003 football season was canceled amid allegations that three varsity football players sexually assaulted three . McElroy and his coaching staff claim they had no responsibility for a vicious alleged hazing incident at a training camp in Pennsylvania in August. 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. Involuntary deviate sexualintercourse. Football: State record broken in Holy Spirit's Thanksgiving win over 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. 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. Students attend a pep rally at Mepham High School in Bellmore, N.Y. At first, shock and disbelief prevailed. Three days after camp ended, Carol and Vinny's son asked for help. Decent football player, though.. } It's a couple of days.' Hasnt hebeen through enough? 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 . CNN. Over the next few days, the broomstick assaults were repeated. maize high school basketball roster. Thepurported ringleader, according to police, was thelineman. We love our children. 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.