Over the course of five days, their sons were brutally sodomized by their teammates. But others angrily argue that not enough attention is being paid to the victims' ordeals. 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. The coaches also showed 48 Hours a tape never before made public - one they say was recorded on the last day of camp. 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. In practice, theyd put meon the B squad and Id tear up the Asquad. He says he stayed on the team for twoyears but was allowed on the field only once,returning a kickoff 50 yards. He's back home on Long Island. But one kid whogot it in the shitter, hes just like afag., Yeah, he says. 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. It's a couple of days.' He told him to find a friend and never bealone. 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. Also it brings down students self esteem. ''Our parents are being blamed. 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. A pack of teenagers congregates across the street from Mepham High School, smoking their . On 10/29, the Mepham varsity football team won their away conference game against Sewanhaka (Floral Park, NY) by a score of 27-12. High school coaches should not be required to give equal playing time to all players who make the team. What LAppartement 4F Co-owner Ashley Coiffard Put on Her Wedding Registry. At this point, the victims would have already suffered numerous attacks. He alwayslistened. I'm grabbing all the medication out of my cabinet and looking for everything that I think he's gonna hurt himself. (Smith/AP) Last week's criminal charges involving six New Mexico high school football players alleged to have sexually . MaxPreps is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. 2022 Fall Boys Football New York: Long Island Division II. Privacy Policy and October 11, 2014 / 7:28 PM / AP. Relatives of the victims, 13 and 14 at the time of the attacks, expressed satisfaction at the outcome. What's gonna come out of this is another parent is gonna say, 'Oh, I'm gonna make sure there's no hazing at my school.'" Reichsteins wife,Kristina, then begged Didden to make an example of thelineman. "He was screaming. 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. 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. Youve got some Janning to do! Berger sayshe got up and called his dad, who went straight to thecoaches. "He made that statement and from that day on, he's been, his family, harassed by letters and threats," says Carol. I need to know for medical.' As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Husband of woman murdered with an ax convicted 40 years after her death There are the ugly jokes, the signs and buttons declaring neighborhood solidarity, and for some people, new-found activism. Amos scored 29 touchdowns in hisjunior year and broke all of Long Islandsrushing records. A day later, the threeboys were suspended, and a student. Four members of the faculty were either fired or forced out because of the scandal. The two boys join their sister tobring the Communion offerings forward as the mournerssing Be Not Afraid.. He was 40 years old. At first, shock and disbelief prevailed. Hasan Minhaj Brings His Powerpoints and Power Suits to Independent Spirit Awards. He taught us not to run away from ourproblems., How old were these kids, 16, 17? saysAndrew Longaro. 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. Watch this highlight video of the Mepham (North Bellmore, NY) football team in its game Recap: Mepham vs. MacArthur 2022 on Nov 4, 2022. 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. Theres a no-cut policy. The star lineman towersover most of the other pallbearers. 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. The coach wentalong with canceling the season because he knew kidswere not coming forward. We've received your submission. A problem arises though once try outs are over and the team is announced. 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. 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. We're checking it off. In my mind, the school made a major error innot suspending these three allegedperpetrators, says Robert Kelly, an attorneyfor two victims. 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. Students should not have to tryout for school sports. That boy was not hurt at camp, but other kids were. 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 . By the end of three exciting days in Atlantic City, 14 champions will emerge at the NJSIAA/Rothman Orthopaedics State . Youth sports are becoming too intense for young children to keep up with. Hasnt hebeen through enough? 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). "The bottom line is, if we did anything wrong, we wouldn't be sitting here talking to you," says Cannestro. Some parents and athletes believe equal playing time for all sports and activities is deserved all through their middle school and high school careers. Doyou know who I am?, The freshman, trying to show a little backbone,replied: This is America. . It's the biggest week of the year for high school wrestling fans. The school's 2003 football season was canceled amid allegations that three varsity football players sexually assaulted three . "Yeah," says Cannestro. Touring the world with friends one mile and pub at a time; Everyone should be so lucky.''. Once in high school, senior athletes have scouts that come out to see them play. 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). He quotes oneof the boys as saying, I will never trustanyone again. .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { For a select number of fortunate athletes, that dream becomes a reality when they commit to a school and sign their letter of intent. He was riding the bus along with varsity members, who held him upside down. Does heknow this for sure? Mary is athird-generation Bellmoron. Her boy,Kyle, played varsity. The coaches are suing to get their jobs back. But the school board was unswayed by the coaches defenders. His dadsaved his friends life that day. 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. A player tried to flush his head in a urinal. 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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. Mepham High School (North Bellmore, NY) Varsity Football Varsity Boys Football North Bellmore, NY FOLLOW TEAM 22-23 V. Football Home Schedule Roster Standings Rankings Photos Videos News More / Mepham High School Football Mepham Football OVERALL 10-2 0.83 Win % LEAGUE 8-1 2nd in League HOME6-0 AWAY3-1 NEUTRAL1-1 PF334 PA169 STREAK1L It's, like, they're monsters," says Patty. When the victims came forward, the team closed ranks.Kids who were said to have witnessed the attacksrefused to talk, even though the longtime coach of thePirates, Kevin McElroyCoach Mac to anyone whoknows himwarned them that the season would endif they didnt come forward. Students attend a pep rally at Mepham High School in Bellmore, N.Y. We have more wealthy backgrounds, saysDanny. So, no., But, you know, says McDermott, ifthey wanted to do it? With FamousAmos on the squad, the team made the county playoffsall four years. 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). 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. Terroristicthreats. The problem was with thekidsand with the parents who brought them upthat way., Sothe parents. OK? According to her, Didden said he wouldinvestigate the incident. If they have failing grades as well, the colleges are sending their students into the world without a real chance at becoming professional athletes, and without an actual education. 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. Vic and Kristina have done The Early Show and20/20. But for the victims' families, the report came as a vindication, they said. 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. Parents are paying up on school meals again. And he was very excited," recalls Patty. And he told us that they were keeping them up. Offscreen, he was one himself. Coaches, the report says, were oblivious to what was occurring. A failure can be a downward spiral or a setback turning into a benefit. 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. The football players were unfairly penalized by the sanctions that were placed on the team. Tryouts are the worst thing about sports, they bring nothing but more stress to your plate. And don't you dare tell,'" says Kristina, who lobbied to get Carney thrown off the trip. And McElroy neverprevented him from playing on the varsity team. In that case, new players at. says McElroy. at Garden City. This story has been shared 140,209 times. Dont eventhink about sleeping at camp, he said. You could just seehe had so much anger in him. That kid wassick! says a player named Rob. "Standing up and giving a 'rah, rah' when my son and the other boys are hurting in this way is so disrespectful.