I need to know for medical.' He was benched for two years as the lawsuit creptthrough the legal system. One of the attackers was allowed to attend camp despite a history of disciplinary problems and not having a permission slip. "My son came forward, did something that he did not want to do. Moreover, they must spend money on equipment, clothing, and food (37). This is hard tosayI know he was a good coach and a lot of kidsliked him. The football players were unfairly penalized by the sanctions that were placed on the team. Offscreen, he was one himself. The star lineman towersover most of the other pallbearers. Trust me been there done that, the most regretted thing about school sports for many are tryouts. Stats are entered by the coach or designated team statistician in the admin. And people who might have had the chance to prevent this incident are not being held accountable.''. The Mepham-Garden City football game this week could be a juicy one. That blond buzzcut, the baby face, the meager beginnings of agoateehes only 16, too young to beburying his father. Know what is expected andacceptable. Be responsible. "He didn't go to school for a long time. Hes the man of the family now. Sofia was sent to a boot camp, and Carney was sent to a juvenile detention center. "I had a personal conversation with one of the victims daily, and not once did he indicate to me that anything was wrong," says Cannestro. Hes dangerous, hes terrifying, hes an extra in, How to Watch the 2023 Oscars Celebrate All 23 Categories Live Again. It stated that, at the camp,. 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.. What about, say, having your head flushed in a toilet? We care about kids. 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. The boy, wearing a regulation backward baseball cap,is standing at the schools west entrance. He even threatened teachers. She says Didden said no twice.Thats when Vic stood up and called Didden aliar. 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). "He [my son] called several times. But others angrily argue that not enough attention is being paid to the victims' ordeals. But it really happened., McElroys lawyer vehemently denies almost everyaspect of Bergers story. In the case of my four month concussion, there are residual mental and physical problems. Anyone can read what you share. ''Despite these warnings and policies, the players all expected hazing to take place in one form or another at the camp,'' the report said. (CNN) -- Five football coaches at a Long Island high school lost their jobs Wednesday night in fallout from an alleged . The crime scene evidence that convicted Alex Murdaugh 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. ''They continue to try to bury this thing and pretend they did everything they could, and that's just not true.''. Most students, the girls say, have not gotten caught up in the anger and recrimination that have divided their parents. Signup for our newsletter to get notified about our next ride. The incident angered the victim's mother, who. The coaches are suing to get their jobs back. Theres a no-cut policy. Then came the civil suit, settled for apaltry sum, to cover medical bills.Berger got threatening letters: Keep singing,Berger, and youll see.. We got the ball first on kick off and we made a touchdown on the first few drives.On. What's more, before camp, parents Victor and Kristina Reichstein say Carney threatened their 13-year-old son. 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. Vic and Kristina have done The Early Show and20/20. At least one group of parents has decided they will continue to speak out. I was by far the besthalfback on the team, Berger says, now 23 butstill angry. Duct tape was yanked from the victims' bottoms and pubic areas, and two of the victims were forced to smear Mineral Ice on their testicles, and then kick each other there, the report says. Not a wink. Also it brings down students self esteem. ''Our parents are being blamed. ''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. They hit his headon the porcelain and he got a concussion. Mary explodes. He suggests that broomsticks,golf balls, and pinecones are consistent withtraditional forms of hazing. 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. 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 . Kids have come to practice Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday, and Friday to get better, while their academics are suffering. Where does it end?". I think they hated me because I introduced the pull-up to their strength and conditioning program. But the happy boys these parents sent to camp last summer didn't return that way. Jason Statham and Aubrey Plaza do not seem like a match made in action-comedy-chemistry heaven, but it somehow works. He knows the mainkid, she says. 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. Long Beach. The owner of the store posted a sign in his window earlier this month: ''We are Bellmore. Mineral ice and especially that he now had, from the first time, a cut," says Carol. Considering the college scholarships that can be provided, the countless generations of players in certain families, and the homecoming activities would be pointless without it. I heard the kidliked it.. 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. 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. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. A problem arises though once try outs are over and the team is announced. All that has led these parents to ask the same kind of questions asked after the shootings at Columbine: How much did the school know about their student assailants, and who should be held responsible? And he stands where the priest stood and speaks,reading from crinkled sheets of paper rapidly, almostinaudibly, in a low monotone. Parents demanded:Shouldnt they have been there to stop theseboys? Subscriber Exclusive. 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. No! In my opinion, a good education is so very important for our countrys youth, especially the athletes. Touring the world with friends one mile and pub at a time; Your sonwoo hoo!Hes having fun. Everything Everywhere All at Once has won in every category they were nominated for. Once each school year, older Mepham students would beat up younger ones on school grounds in a ritual called ''Freshman Friday,'' the grand jury found. We love our community. No," says McElroy. He said no," recalls Carol. On September 17, the Bellmore-Merrick Central HighSchool District Board of Education canceledMepham's football season. This incident could have been foreseeable by the coaches, and possibly the administration, if the coach reported anything to the principal and athletic director. The 15-year-old wide receiver became the first female football player in Long Island history to score a touchdown Saturday night, when. }, First published on April 12, 2004 / 5:10 PM. A pack of teenagers congregates across the street from Mepham High School, smoking their . Go ahead. When I was in ninth grade, says Lohman,my father died and my mother wanted to move toFlorida. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Ken Carney, 16, the ringleader of the attacks, was well-known by school administrators as a disciplinary problem. Four days ago, hisfather died in his sleep. Most of themare yelling. CNN. Sofia LaSpina has etched her name in Long Island history. says McElroy. "We're not animals. He had his little list. He gave his son a cellphone. Now, McElroy and Junior Varsity Coach Art Cannestro exclusively tell their story to 48 Hours. Sofia was sentenced to the boot camp and Carney to the detention center both in Pennsylvania. 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 In that case, new players at. Parents are paying up on school meals again. This story has been shared 140,209 times. He was dyingto play for the Pirateshed gotten AmosZereoues autograph when Zereoue visited hisjunior high. 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 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. It's a couple of days.' When athletes experience head trauma, they only recover a little, which might end their career early or other times people never recover. 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. 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. As she accepts her Someone to Watch award on stage. Reichstein triedto stare the lineman down. When Patty and Jimmy's son came home, he told them he had been sodomized, too. And my son said, 'They inserted a broomstick.'". 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? We dont beat guysup., Some of his old teammates have gathered to buy drinksfrom him. Tell me why I should just know? And he's looking for something in the house to hurt himself.' But the grand jury did not find the coaches criminally negligent. 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. When members of a high-school football team on Long Island were accused of sexual attacks, the community was appalled . 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. "He's victimized because I asked him to do a favor in this. Many have lost sight of the fact that baseball players are not the only athletes that face this life threatening addiction. I want to thank my assistant coach who is the baseball expert. The lineman was furious. But they dont want to appearself-serving, he says. 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. 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.. 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. The public was barred from the hearing, but the penalties and the judges comments were disclosed by relatives of victims, lawyers and cops. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. 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). 18 - 35 L. 10/15/2022. The emotional impact on him is unbelievable," adds Carol. What LAppartement 4F Co-owner Ashley Coiffard Put on Her Wedding Registry. False imprisonment. If you do something wrong, youd better go home and pack your toothbrush because youll pay the consequences, he told the teen. Legendary football coach Joe Paterno was one of those who was fired, which shook up the coaching staff. "He was laying in bed with a big butcher knife in his hand 'cause he was scared. 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. Trending News Mepham High School Football Tragedy 1056 Words | 5 Pages. At 1:21 p.m. last Friday, the Mepham High School football and cheerleading squads should have rushed onto Mepham's field for a It would be the adventure of his life five days of intense football in the woods of Pennsylvania. His broad shoulders are slumpedand trembling as he walks the coffin down the aisle ofSaint Barnabas Church in Bellmore, Long Island. I cried," says Carol, who asked her friend, Jim Rullo, to make a speech on her behalf. That kid wassick! says a player named Rob. display: none; 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. This email will be used to sign into all New York sites. Also, sleep-away sports camps will no longer be authorized by the school district, Billig said. JUDGE SLAMS MEPHAM HAZERS By Erin Calabrese January 15, 2004 5:00am A Pennsylvania judge imposed strong penalties yesterday on two teens who sexually abused younger players at a high school. 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. How Tyrel Jackson Williams Brought TikTok Cringe to, Its sort of a newer version of the L.A. actor ride that Kyle is on the first two seasons, but its worse.. And he was very excited," recalls Patty. Berger sayshe got up and called his dad, who went straight to thecoaches. "Standing up and giving a 'rah, rah' when my son and the other boys are hurting in this way is so disrespectful. "The kid who just made the tackle," says Cannestro, identifying one of the players on the tape. And you know, I'm panicking.". Still, they will be held accountable for what they did on some level, she added. Oh, Loosey! (Almost as prevalent is the idea, notconfirmed by police, that the linemans fathercommitted suicide. Once the season started, eight players tackled him inthe locker room and lowered him into the toilet; thistime, he says, it contained urine. "He was robbed of his innocence. 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. His dadsaved his friends life that day. What we're saying is, I notice when somebody's limping. 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. Of course not. Nassau County Girl Scouts fundraise for victims of quake in Syria, Turkey at Masjid Hamza, Powered by Creative Circle Media Solutions. Thelinemans fathers death on October 5created one delay in moving the case forward; otherdelays have been due to the attorneys effortsto bring the case back to juvenile status, and tonegotiate their clients surrender into custody. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. Im theprincipal, he said, and Illdecide who can go on the trip. The lineman wasallowed to go to camp. But are they really fortunate? 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. Those individuals who just made the team now deal with a problem that happens mainly from the. Three varsity players are charged by Pennsylvania authorities with sodomizing three junior varsity players with broomsticks, pine cones and golf balls. . Meanwhile, Nassau police on Monday found a found a cache of weapons near the school including baseball bats and golf clubs. All the negative attention has galvanized them, they said. I said, 'What's the matter?' You\'ll receive the next newsletter in your inbox. Treat others with the respect that you wouldlike to receive. Act appropriately. It was supposed to be fun, and glorious. "They have to be lying.". As we mentioned earlier, the freshmans mother mentioned to coach McElroy the fact that the upperclassman was calling her son those insulting names. Perhaps most prominent among the group are Victor and Kristina Reichstein, who have criticized the school's principal, John F. Didden, and the team's head coach, Kevin McElroy, from the beginning. Once in high school, senior athletes have scouts that come out to see them play. ", Are they lying? The Biden administrations policy of blocking unvaccinated people from the country continues to make little sense. 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. For a select number of fortunate athletes, that dream becomes a reality when they commit to a school and sign their letter of intent. Were more Jewish! another kidyells, laughing. 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. We were afraid they would walk away with probation.. 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. 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 never brought this incident toMcElroys attention; he must have brought it tothe JV coachs attention. Travis Barkers Finger Is Now the Enema of Blink-182 Fans. 2023 Vox Media, LLC. She shouts out all the ladies (mothers and wives) in the room. 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. 1999, McAlester High School, Oklahoma: A football player suffered a head injury after he was jumped by older teammates in a locker-room hazing. "The bottom line is, if we did anything wrong, we wouldn't be sitting here talking to you," says Cannestro. "Everybody says we should just know. Kristina and Vic Reichstein stand upand say their son, a freshman, was threatened by thelineman during practice in July and August. display: block; This was the 94th meeting between the two schools . 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. Mysons season has been completely fucked up! But other voices emerge at the meeting, corroboratingthe victims contention that hazing is a fact oflife at Mepham. 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). These towns lost seventeenpeople in the World Trade Center attacks.Theyre places whose kids go to college locallyand then settle here and raise families. 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. I believe that exclusive tryouts should be held for children because they are extremely good for their mental health in three ways: tryouts teach kids humility, in that they arent always going to be selected, they help kids learn to work harder, and they boost kids confidence. He triedseriously to treat him as a regular kid, like nothingever happened. OK? Clutching their schoolbooks in their arms, Allie and Sarah said they actually felt tremendous pride in their school these days. Watch this highlight video of the Mepham (North Bellmore, NY) football team in its game Recap: Mepham vs. South Side 2022 on Oct 22, 2022. 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 coach wentalong with canceling the season because he knew kidswere not coming forward. After all, theywerent just studentsthey wereathletes.. But for the victims' families, the report came as a vindication, they said. Should they also get paid the same amount even if another co-worker is better at their job? Murdaugh defense team plans to appeal conviction If such a policy had been in place, one of the attackers would not have been allowed at the camp, the report says. No!! This story has been shared 140,209 times. Hed just beat upon peoplehed be walking by andboom! It's, like, they're monsters," says Patty. It stated that, at the camp,. The coaches would have to be everywhere at thesame time, says Dave Hill. Doyou know who I am?, The freshman, trying to show a little backbone,replied: This is America. "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? The coaches let him go, the report says, ''because he was a good football player. On a warm night in October,Mary Williams and her boyfriend, Andy Corcoran, bothMepham class of 1980, sit having a drink. For Carol's son, it doesn't end. Keep yourmouth shut, the letters read, andnothing will happen to you or your family.. No. And who you can expect to see performing and presenting. You know, what could be going on? For me, this challenge helped me develop as a person than will work harder and strive for the best in my academics. The kid that did it, I feel so bad forhim, the boy says. Students ''don't know who to blame,'' said Allie. 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 coaches, who supervised the trip, say that they had no idea any of this was happening during the camp. The guy grabbed me in front of the wholeteam, Berger says. 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. On September 17, the Bellmore-Merrick Central HighSchool District Board of Education canceledMephams football season. Terroristicthreats. How a tragic boating crash is connected to the family of Alex Murdaugh My sons not. But one kid whogot it in the shitter, hes just like afag., Yeah, he says. The two boys join their sister tobring the Communion offerings forward as the mournerssing Be Not Afraid.. 28 - 13 W. 10/22/2022. Once rated one of the best academic high schools in the nation, Mepham High is now mired in scandal. Tryouts are the worst thing about sports, they bring nothing but more stress to your plate. 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. The boy was a member of the 2007 Charlton County High School junior varsity golf team. 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. Does heknow this for sure? 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.
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