mepham high school football scandal

Still, they will be held accountable for what they did on some level, she added. When tryouts begin these individuals hope their skills and abilities will get them recognized by not only the coaches, but the returning players as well. Some tryouts are not far by any means, in which the coaches pick from not the skill but by the way they know the student. 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. 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. "He was laying in bed with a big butcher knife in his hand 'cause he was scared. Hisfriend was a captain on the team, he maybe was gonnaget a scholarship. 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. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. They reallycouldnt do anything about it. But the victims told their parents they were screaming at the top of their lungs. Berger sayshe got up and called his dad, who went straight to thecoaches. School administrators, however, let him get on the bus anyway. Heand a group of kids have me surrounded. 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.. 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. Everyone in the pews has heard how the father had beendevastated by the criminal charges his son was facing.Aggravated assault. You may notstart, but youll be on the team.. Some have hired lawyers for their children. The Biden administrations policy of blocking unvaccinated people from the country continues to make little sense. It was just too outrageous," says Jimmy. "He made that statement and from that day on, he's been, his family, harassed by letters and threats," says Carol. There were no screams like that.". But one kid whogot it in the shitter, hes just like afag., Yeah, he says. Children have strived for years to make their parents, teachers and coaches proud of them. 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? On Bellmore Avenue, themain drag in town, a mile or so east of Mepham,Docs Pub serves as an unofficial class-reunionspace. "Am I an evil person? Imagine your best friends making the school soccer team and you getting cut, because your not ready or there is no room. 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.. 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. Mepham High School Football Scandal - nymag.com And who you can expect to see performing and presenting. Theyre a beautiful family. "What constitutes a scream?" Most students, the girls say, have not gotten caught up in the anger and recrimination that have divided their parents. says Cannestro. 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. Moreover, they must spend money on equipment, clothing, and food (37). "I assumed he was homesick, so I said, 'Stick it out. This wasn't just something that happened when the lights went out.". He had his little list. False imprisonment. Instead, they were treated as juveniles. All the negative attention has galvanized them, they said. 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. How a tragic boating crash is connected to the family of Alex Murdaugh 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. This email will be used to sign into all New York sites. Many have lost sight of the fact that baseball players are not the only athletes that face this life threatening addiction. 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. JUDGE SLAMS MEPHAM HAZERS - New York Post Students attend a pep rally at Mepham High School in Bellmore, N.Y. ''People just want to move on,'' said one teenager, sucking on his cigarette. "I don't want everything he's gone through to be just a waste. 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. "Standing up and giving a 'rah, rah' when my son and the other boys are hurting in this way is so disrespectful. No!! I cried," says Carol, who asked her friend, Jim Rullo, to make a speech on her behalf. It stated that, at the camp,. 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. With FamousAmos on the squad, the team made the county playoffsall four years. Terms of Service apply. We love our children. The boy, wearing a regulation backward baseball cap,is standing at the schools west entrance. But I justgot off the phone with the mother of one of thevictims, and she told me that were her bestadvocate. Go ahead. The issue of blame, however, continues to polarize parents and promises to loom larger as the criminal case moves ahead. Im theprincipal, he said, and Illdecide who can go on the trip. The lineman wasallowed to go to camp. 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. It's a couple of days.' The grand jury criticizes the school district for not providing adequate supervision during the weeklong camp, and says the district should adopt a zero-tolerance policy toward violent behavior. ", Patty says her son also hasn't recovered from the ordeal: "About a month ago, I had gotten a call from a neighbor. What's more, before camp, parents Victor and Kristina Reichstein say Carney threatened their 13-year-old son. Most high school athletes across America share one common aspiration: play their sport at the next level in college. 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. 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. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google 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 . Oh, Loosey! Nassau County Girl Scouts fundraise for victims of quake in Syria, Turkey at Masjid Hamza, Powered by Creative Circle Media Solutions. At least one group of parents has decided they will continue to speak out. Keep yourmouth shut, the letters read, andnothing will happen to you or your family.. They demanded that the boy be barred from camp but were rebuffed, they said. Over the course of five days, their sons were brutally sodomized by their teammates. Not a lot of kids are good enough to play in the top college sports programs in the country. South Side. He was dyingto play for the Pirateshed gotten AmosZereoues autograph when Zereoue visited hisjunior high. On September 17, the Bellmore-Merrick Central HighSchool District Board of Education canceledMephams football season. He did more for me than any coach ever. There's supervision, like any other school event.". 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. Everyone should be so lucky.''. Our community is being blamed. '', 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. As we mentioned earlier, the freshmans mother mentioned to coach McElroy the fact that the upperclassman was calling her son those insulting names. They hit his headon the porcelain and he got a concussion. Reichsteins wife,Kristina, then begged Didden to make an example of thelineman. We said, 'Are they hurting you?' For many years, people have been debating about whether sports teams for kids should have selective tryouts. That, thelineman says, is the kind of man his father was. Jonathan Anderson gets one of the first qualities of great fashion that it has to feel a bit strange. I went to summerschool with them. The lineman, he says,was always starting fights. Mineral ice and especially that he now had, from the first time, a cut," says Carol. Afew miles awaysouth of Sunrise Highway, down bythe blue water of East BayBMWs and Lexuses fillthe lot at the rival high school, John F. Kennedy.This was Amy Fishers high schoolthe richschool. Most of themare yelling. Rick Scott Is Unfortunately Right About Novak Djokovic. 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. Coaches, the report says, were oblivious to what was occurring. In my opinion, a good education is so very important for our countrys youth, especially the athletes. The abuse occurred day and night, and young players were attacked repeatedly and forced to sodomize each other, the report says. 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. Doyou know who I am?, The freshman, trying to show a little backbone,replied: This is America. Hes been introuble before, that kid. 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. , 2023-02-08, 18:25:23 How long has it been since you've licked a high school girls pussy daddy? Soon after the first revelations of the attacks, the Reichsteins reached out to newspapers and television stations with their story. Offscreen, he was one himself. "He was absolutely screaming. 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). ''Despite these warnings and policies, the players all expected hazing to take place in one form or another at the camp,'' the report said. I said, 'What's the matter?' } On 11/4, the Mepham varsity football team won their home conference game against MacArthur (Levittown, NY) by a score of 14-7. Future of Sayreville football coaches may hinge on supervision display: block; The way they walked? On a Friday morning in August, 60 kids were droppedoff for the bus ride to Pennsylvania. "He's victimized because I asked him to do a favor in this. Students should not have to tryout for school sports. "Something happened in between those practices every single time, to my son. Thanks for contacting us. They also understand they will need to sacrifice time, energy, and their social life in order to achieve these goals. Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix have broken up after he allegedly cheated on her with Raquel Leviss. "We have a clip of the JV football scrimmage," says McElroy, who believes it proves that there was nothing obviously wrong. Treat others with the respect that you wouldlike to receive. Act appropriately. *Sorry, there was a problem signing you up. But they dont want to appearself-serving, he says. Athletes must commit time to practice and traveling. The two boys join their sister tobring the Communion offerings forward as the mournerssing Be Not Afraid.. 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. That was until Berger started practicethe August before his freshman year. A failure can be a downward spiral or a setback turning into a benefit. Meanwhile, Nassau police on Monday found a found a cache of weapons near the school including baseball bats and golf clubs. 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. Bells toll. Half that shit they didisnt even that bad.. Every year parents and students of local schools can come and enjoy seeing kids of their community playing football, which could make a player's future bright, and a grandparent proud. Theres no way youcant play me. Stats are entered by the coach or designated team statistician in the admin. The boy was a member of the 2007 Charlton County High School junior varsity golf team. "Not once. Sports in Mepham isvery big.. After Allegations of Abuse, A Football Season Is Canceled Decent football player, though.. Now the Reichsteins have written the stateDepartment of Education, demanding an investigation. But for the victims' families, the report came as a vindication, they said. 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 October 6, heannounced that that was his intention. This is a sore pointfor Mary. During the first day of camp, the hazing was minor, such as one player smearing gel and powder into another's hair. Not, 'Coach, things aren't good over here.' Legendary football coach Joe Paterno was one of those who was fired, which shook up the coaching staff. The crime scene evidence that convicted Alex Murdaugh 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. 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. Over the next few days, the broomstick assaults were repeated. Those kids are running at full speed. Husband of woman murdered with an ax convicted 40 years after her death Youth sports are becoming too intense for young children to keep up with. She says Didden said no twice.Thats when Vic stood up and called Didden aliar. And people who might have had the chance to prevent this incident are not being held accountable.''. Anotherparent, Jim Rullo, delivers a prepared statement onbehalf of the victims families. Were more Jewish! another kidyells, laughing. Now even they, however, have grown weary, wishing for a return to their old life. 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. So, no., But, you know, says McDermott, ifthey wanted to do it? "Yeah," says Cannestro. He said no," recalls Carol. Parents demanded:Shouldnt they have been there to stop theseboys? Yet to place responsibilityon any adult, coach or parent, means at leastpartially acquitting the kids; to suggest that someoneshould have stopped them is to believe that they couldhave been stopped. Football: State record broken in Holy Spirit's Thanksgiving win over By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive email correspondence from us. Nassau County Girl Scouts fundraise for victims of quake in Syria, Turkey at Masjid Hamza, Powered by Creative Circle Media Solutions. Was there anything that indicated they were injured or traumatized? Theyre sick of reporters, andtheyre worried about the lineman. He really was.". Because if these attacks are acceptedas hazing, then the school is responsible. College football players should get paid to play because these players put themselves at risk for injury, college football is a job, not p.e, and it will help players adjust to college socially and economically.