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. "Yeah," says Cannestro. School administrators, however, let him get on the bus anyway. The priest declares that the father had nothingbut life ahead of him. If such a policy had been in place, one of the attackers would not have been allowed at the camp, the report says. 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. Waiting outside in front of the hearseis a police escort, to ward off the media. He said no," recalls Carol. Watch this highlight video of the Mepham (North Bellmore, NY) football team in its game Recap: Mepham vs. MacArthur 2022 on Nov 4, 2022. Of course this thing escalated tosodomy, Berger says. I cried," says Carol, who asked her friend, Jim Rullo, to make a speech on her behalf. CNN. "Standing up and giving a 'rah, rah' when my son and the other boys are hurting in this way is so disrespectful. Anyone can read what you share. The coaches are suing to get their jobs back. McElroy and his coaching staff claim they had no responsibility for a vicious alleged hazing incident at a training camp in Pennsylvania in August. He's back home on Long Island. Also it brings down students self esteem. We said, 'Are they hurting you?' Regardless, I was all about making them the best well-rounded people before they head into the cruel world. Over the next few days, the broomstick assaults were repeated. Since returning from camp, he has barely slept. 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. 49 - 18 W. Coaches, the report says, were oblivious to what was occurring. "He was after my son morning, noon, and night. The conversation easily shifts to a defenseof Coach Mac. (Almost as prevalent is the idea, notconfirmed by police, that the linemans fathercommitted suicide. Just because someone shows up and participates, doesnt not mean they deserve the same treatment as everyone else. 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 was 40 years old. Most high school athletes across America share one common aspiration: play their sport at the next level in college. Heand a group of kids have me surrounded. It's the biggest week of the year for high school wrestling fans. No!! 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. Even before three varsity players for the Mepham High School Pirates sodomized three freshman teammates at a football camp, using golf balls, pine cones and a broomstick, other classes of. Not a wink. It is in the best interests of our students and the success of our program that the present coaches not be re-appointed, said Bellmore-Merrick school-board member Norbert Billig. And he was very excited," recalls Patty. 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. The sentences are indeterminate, but will be reviewed every four months. display: none; 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. Who? Privacy Policy and Including dishwasher-safe Japanese porcelain, two sets of French-made knives, and a sleek kettle. When I was in ninth grade, says Lohman,my father died and my mother wanted to move toFlorida. The boy was a member of the 2007 Charlton County High School junior varsity golf team. They have criticized the coaches and school district for lax supervision, accusing Mepham officials of ignoring the long disciplinary record of one of the three attackers. 18 - 35 L. 10/15/2022. He previously suffered a brain aneurysm on February 18, and was ultimately taken off life support. "There's nothing anyone else could have done differently," adds Cannestro. A day later, the three alleged victims are stillhaving broomsticks thrown at them from cars in theparking lot. '', ''This is a wake-up call,'' said the father of one of the victims, who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect his son. 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 They hit his headon the porcelain and he got a concussion. Once rated one of the best academic high. Due to the amount of padding they have to wear, football players can easily disguise their size therefore keeping them from receiving scrutiny from the public. We're going to all the sports stores. "Not once. 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. There were no screams like that.". But others angrily argue that not enough attention is being paid to the victims' ordeals. The parents are organizing to demand that the school administration be held accountable for allowing the incident to occur, they said. On September 17, the Bellmore-Merrick Central HighSchool District Board of Education canceledMepham's football season. ''People just want to move on,'' said one teenager, sucking on his cigarette. And my son said, 'They inserted a broomstick.'". Still, they will be held accountable for what they did on some level, she added. "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? Wesley?Wesley was a nasty rat bastard! He told Pennsylvaniapolice that he couldnt release informationabout a student without a subpoena. Did either coach notice anything on these children's faces? In my opinion, a good education is so very important for our countrys youth, especially the athletes. What we're saying is, I notice when somebody's limping. 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. The Nassau Conference II showdown between these two unbeatens has . West Jersey Football League all-stars: United Division, 2022. 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. All the negative attention has galvanized them, they said. ''They continue to try to bury this thing and pretend they did everything they could, and that's just not true.''. On 11/4, the Mepham varsity football team won their home conference game against MacArthur (Levittown, NY) by a score of 14-7. 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. 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 boy, wearing a regulation backward baseball cap,is standing at the schools west entrance. Students have pushed their bodies to the limits, causing extreme injury that will hold them back from sports in the future. Did a kid come and tell us? Throughout September, a question hung in the air:Would Wayne County district attorney Mark Zimmer trythe boys as adults, which would mean that each couldface up to twenty years in prison? Reichsteins wife,Kristina, then begged Didden to make an example of thelineman. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. 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. Please enter valid email address to continue. Mepham High School football head coach Anthony Cracco says LaSpina is the perfect role model for anyone who wants to just play because she worked hard and never got discouraged, adding there's a . He says the coach said,Okay, Ill handle it. From thatmoment on, the junior stopped callingReichsteins son faggot andstarted calling him tattletale boy., One day at practice, the lineman approached him whilehe was drinking from a water fountain. Two of the kids are underclassmen, littlekids, he says. If you do something wrong, youd better go home and pack your toothbrush because youll pay the consequences, he told the teen. 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.) When Patty and Jimmy's son came home, he told them he had been sodomized, too. ", "Did a parent come and complain to us? The two boys join their sister tobring the Communion offerings forward as the mournerssing Be Not Afraid.. 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. Once rated one of the best academic high schools in the nation, Mepham High is now mired in scandal. 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. We're in education because we love kids.". "He was waiting for them [the coaches] to come in and save him, but no one came," says Carol's husband, Vinny. 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). Other players laughed, the report said. Not like Wesley Berger, Vic says.Hes overexposed.. "He came to me and said, 'I'm bleeding. At least one group of parents has decided they will continue to speak out. Terroristicthreats. ''Despite these warnings and policies, the players all expected hazing to take place in one form or another at the camp,'' the report said. The group, which calls itself Mepham Parents 4 Change, consists of eight families, but says it is quickly gathering support. #inline-recirc-item--id-a617c056-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d ~ .item:nth-child(5) { "We have a clip of the JV football scrimmage," says McElroy, who believes it proves that there was nothing obviously wrong. There are the ugly jokes, the signs and buttons declaring neighborhood solidarity, and for some people, new-found activism. At Mepham High School on Long Island, the entire football season was canceled after players admitted to sadistically hazing fellow teammates. Criminal coercion. Go ahead. What LAppartement 4F Co-owner Ashley Coiffard Put on Her Wedding Registry. 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. In earlier interviews, the head coach, Kevin McElroy, and his four assistants have said they did not know about the attacks, and could have done nothing to prevent them. Thepurported ringleader, according to police, was thelineman. 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? Terms of Service apply. "He [my son] called several times. My sonthinks its just a bad thing that went too far,too fast., Andy mentions what some people are sayingthatwhat happened at camp was part of a pattern of hazingat Mepham. She says Didden said no twice.Thats when Vic stood up and called Didden aliar. A minivan with two others whizzes by, music blaring. At this point, the victims would have already suffered numerous attacks. Hes dangerous, hes terrifying, hes an extra in, How to Watch the 2023 Oscars Celebrate All 23 Categories Live Again. Oh, Loosey! In my mind, the school made a major error innot suspending these three allegedperpetrators, says Robert Kelly, an attorneyfor two victims. The way they walked? 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. I don't have psychic skills. Offscreen, he was one himself. No! MINEOLA, N.Y. -- Mepham High School football coach Kevin McElroy said Tuesday he was "shocked" by allegations that members of his varsity squad sexually abused younger players and said he. Theyre a beautiful family. After Dax Shepard asked her about her musical chairs relationship situation. The Biden administrations policy of blocking unvaccinated people from the country continues to make little sense. Hasnt hebeen through enough? ), I knew all those kids, saysanother boy, a JV player. What went wrong? That was until Berger started practicethe August before his freshman year. But rather, in my opinion, how could the coaches have known?" Everybody knew I got hazed in the lockerroom, he says. 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. For a select number of fortunate athletes, that dream becomes a reality when they commit to a school and sign their letter of intent. 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 . Trending News Berger sayshe got up and called his dad, who went straight to thecoaches. Four members of the faculty were either fired or forced out because of the scandal. In the meantime, experts say violent hazings in high schools are becoming more frequent. These towns lost seventeenpeople in the World Trade Center attacks.Theyre places whose kids go to college locallyand then settle here and raise families. Now the . When parents came to an emergency meeting on September16 with the principal and superintendent, they heardnot mea culpas but accusations. Athletes must commit time to practice and traveling. You\'ll receive the next newsletter in your inbox. Nothing.". When the school board canceled the football season and suspended the coaches, the community actually split -- between those who supported the victims' families, and those who wanted to save the coaches and the season. At Mepham High School on Long Island, the entire football season was canceled after players admitted to sadistically hazing fellow teammates. His dadsaved his friends life that day. Some kids even approach them and suggestthat the time has come to let bygones be bygones.Their logic is biblicalan eye for an eye.The linemans father died! Decent football player, though.. They had hoped that the three assailants (Phil Sofia, Ken Carney, and Tom Diasparra) would be tried as adults for the crimes. Including intelligent heated gloves, soothing foot rollers, and classic cabbage-shaped servingware. Trust me been there done that, the most regretted thing about school sports for many are tryouts. Parents demanded:Shouldnt they have been there to stop theseboys? When members of a high-school football team on Long Island were accused of sexual attacks, the community was appalled . In the case of my four month concussion, there are residual mental and physical problems. I think hes adirtbag. It devastated us. It would be the adventure of his life five days of intense football in the woods of Pennsylvania. Both coaches still don't understand why they're being blamed for what happened last summer at Mepham High School's football camp. Those kids are running at full speed. Four days ago, hisfather died in his sleep. That kid wassick! says a player named Rob. He quotes oneof the boys as saying, I will never trustanyone again. On October 6, heannounced that that was his intention. And McElroy neverprevented him from playing on the varsity team. #inline-recirc-item--id-a617c056-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d, #right-rail-recirc-item--id-a617c056-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d { This email will be used to sign into all New York sites. Does heknow this for sure? He said, 'Well, your son was just online and saying he can't take it anymore. Even before three varsity players for the Mepham High School Pirates sodomized three freshman teammates at a football camp, using golf balls, pine cones and a broomstick, other classes of football players had hazed new members by beating them and dunking their heads into toilets, the report said. On 11/4, the Mepham varsity football team won their home playoff game against Elmont Memorial (Elmont, NY) by a score of 14-7. 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. "He didn't go to school for a long time. It stated that, at the camp,. "We're not animals. Heresisted, and according to his version of events, heremembers a JV coach telling him to roll with it. We were afraid they would walk away with probation.. ", Are they lying? 28 - 13 W. 10/22/2022. However, earning your position, being undeserving of playing time, and coaches trying to win in their respected program are all issues that need to be thought of before people begin fighting for equal playing time. 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. I dont evencare what they did.. Who doyou think you are? said the lineman, accordingto Reichsteins son. ''It's got to end here. Into the locker! Many have lost sight of the fact that baseball players are not the only athletes that face this life threatening addiction. He gave his son a cellphone. Andbecause we were the group with Amos, our team isetched in his memory.. It is understandable that everyone can not make the team but it is a terrible thing to cut children by telling them they did not have enough room on the team or are not ready to be on it. The guy grabbed me in front of the wholeteam, Berger says. Imagine your best friends making the school soccer team and you getting cut, because your not ready or there is no room. No," says McElroy. He really was.". They reallycouldnt do anything about it. (516) 569-4000, To donate or for more information, click here, Chamber, mayors office are no match for the Thunderbolts. Days later, the school wentahead with its annual pep rally, in a gesture ofsupport for Coach Mac and the sidelined Pirates. The 15-year-old wide receiver became the first female football player in Long Island history to score a touchdown Saturday night, when. McElroy hadnothing to do with this kid, Joe Rosenthalsays. Here's why food advocates are worried they cant afford it. I need to know for medical.' He taught us not to run away from ourproblems., How old were these kids, 16, 17? saysAndrew Longaro. 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. The crime scene evidence that convicted Alex Murdaugh some by the crimes, others by the cancellation of the season. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Because if these attacks are acceptedas hazing, then the school is responsible. In 1994, Wesley Bergerwas a Mepham freshman, a football player with a shelfof trophiesMVP for the peewee league,fastest-runner and best-tackler awards. Mepham High School Football Tragedy 1056 Words | 5 Pages. That boy was not hurt at camp, but other kids were. 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. This wasn't just something that happened when the lights went out.". I need to see a doctor,'" says Carol. But the school board was unswayed by the coaches defenders. Correspondent Peter Van Sant reports. 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. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google 10/08/2022. Then it became a football school. I notice when they're injured. The third player in the Mepham HS hazing scandal was sentenced to probation after he made a deal with prosecutors and provided information. During his career, the prolific actor inhabited an array of troubled characters. In the bunks, 17-year-old players were assigned to watch over 13-year-old boys. They also understand they will need to sacrifice time, energy, and their social life in order to achieve these goals. According to her, Didden said he wouldinvestigate the incident. Go to the back of theline.. Soon after the first revelations of the attacks, the Reichsteins reached out to newspapers and television stations with their story. He had to tell people what happened to him," says Carol. 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. They have become activists, who say that the incident is just part of a pattern of problems in the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District. The grand jury has been investigating the attacks for months to determine whether the coaches should be indicted and what led to the assaults. 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. 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. 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.. asks McElroy. Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix have broken up after he allegedly cheated on her with Raquel Leviss. Theyre investigating the possibility that some students were planning to attack their schoolmates. And he told us that they were keeping them up. Thursday, November 6, 2003 Posted: 1537 GMT (11:37 PM HKT) Story Tools.