Will Dalton, Staff Editor
Before the start of each sports season, prospective NHS student-athletes sit down in the main gymnasium to meet with NHS Athletic Director Gregg Simon regarding rules of the athletic program. Perhaps one of the most important topics discussed during this meeting are the consequences of hazing and bullying within teams. Despite this type of meeting in many high schools around the country, bullying and hazing still occurs. In some cases, the abuse is pervasive and inflicts physical and mental harm.
A report surfaced on October 8 detailing the disturbing acts of hazing to freshman on the Sayreville War Memorial High School in New Jersey high school football team. The report described a “ritual” among the football team, in which freshman players were physically and sexually abused by upperclassmen. According to a source close to the investigation, this “ritual” happened almost every day.
Earlier in the week, a criminal investigation by local and state police started to take place when the superintendent of schools, Dr. Richard Labbe, cancelled the remainder of the high school’s football season.
“I need to make sure the community knows that this is a game and our children have the privilege to play it,” Labbe said.
The mess has drawn countless numbers of media and television stations to the small New Jersey town, a town in which high school football reigns king.
“I was at first really surprised that the seniors would take it to that extreme extent,” NHS senior Jacob Burden said. “I was also annoyed that the coach may have known about it and did not do anything.”
The Sayreville football team has long kept up a reputation of fear in and out of the locker room. Since the allegations have been released, numerous amounts parents and former players have spoken about the nature of the football program.
“It’s weird because I see kids outside the locker room putting their clothes on, rather than being inside the locker room and doing it,” Sayreville parent Vincent Marra said to NJ.com. “Maybe they don’t want to be the one or two kids that are left in there when the seniors come in and do whatever the hell they do.”
For the most part, the parents of the players agree with the decision of the school board. Others argue that some of the kids are running the risk of losing scholarships by forfeiting games.
“I want to see the kids that did these things to get in trouble obviously,” Burden said. “However, I don’t think getting rid of the whole season was the best choice because there are others who weren’t involved. Now, younger kids can’t develop into good players.”
The people who believe that the season should, in fact, be cancelled can point to the innocent player’s silence as consent. Whether or not they were succumbing to the culture, or were scared of being pressured into complying, the “uninvolved” still let it occur inside their very own locker room.
Coaches in the program deny ever knowing about this, and it is anyone’s guess whether they were actually aware. As concerning as the fact of them not knowing may be, the real focus should be on the players themselves, and why this ever occurred in the first place.
Photo Credit; buisnessinsider.com