mepham high school football 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. (516) 569-4000, To donate or for more information, click here, Chamber, mayors office are no match for the Thunderbolts. Then it became a football school. Why wasn't there a coach sleeping in the cabins? Thanks for contacting us. Kids in the bunks didn't tell us. This is a sore pointfor Mary. MaxPreps is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. 2022 Fall Boys Football New York: Long Island Division II. Its the kind of bar where people stillsmoke and no one cares. , 2023-02-08, 18:25:23 How long has it been since you've licked a high school girls pussy daddy? Also, sleep-away sports camps will no longer be authorized by the school district, Billig said. Mepham Football team - Long Island High School Sports - Newsday And he told us that they were keeping them up. 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. The report criticized the Wayne County judge, Robert Conway, for his decision not to move the attackers' cases from juvenile to adult court. 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). The sexual assaults that occurred last summer among members of a Long Island high school football team sprang from old traditions of violent hazing that coaches and school officials could not curb, according to a report handed up yesterday by a Pennsylvania grand jury. 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. And would you let it happen a second and third time? Parents are paying up on school meals again. Mepham victims file suitCharge Central District officials knew about It involved a fight amongteenage boys. 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. At Mepham High School on Long Island, the entire football season was canceled after players admitted to sadistically hazing fellow teammates. Students have pushed their bodies to the limits, causing extreme injury that will hold them back from sports in the future. "He was after my son morning, noon, and night. Not like Wesley Berger, Vic says.Hes overexposed.. Tell me why I should just know? For a select number of fortunate athletes, that dream becomes a reality when they commit to a school and sign their letter of intent. Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix have broken up after he allegedly cheated on her with Raquel Leviss. It's the biggest week of the year for high school wrestling fans. Four members of the faculty were either fired or forced out because of the scandal. . 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. ), I knew all those kids, saysanother boy, a JV player. He told him to find a friend and never bealone. . The crime scene evidence that convicted Alex Murdaugh He was riding the bus along with varsity members, who held him upside down. "These boys were like 6 feet 2 inches and 6 feet 4 inches, and roughly 250 lbs. '', 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. Many have lost sight of the fact that baseball players are not the only athletes that face this life threatening addiction. 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. ''Despite these warnings and policies, the players all expected hazing to take place in one form or another at the camp,'' the report said. ", Are they lying? The star lineman towersover most of the other pallbearers. So, no., But, you know, says McDermott, ifthey wanted to do it? After all, theywerent just studentsthey wereathletes.. On October 6, heannounced that that was his intention. In the meantime, experts say violent hazings in high schools are becoming more frequent. Were happy as can be, said Carol, an aunt of one of the victims. Once in high school, senior athletes have scouts that come out to see them play. That boy was not hurt at camp, but other kids were. Please enter valid email address to continue. Criminal coercion. 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. Atlantic City Football 2022-2023 - NJ.com 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. Which mayexplain why Coach Mac, in his only public statement,has concurred with Caramore. ''It's got to end here. He was always in troubleat school, but not in football. In my mind, the school made a major error innot suspending these three allegedperpetrators, says Robert Kelly, an attorneyfor two victims. Sports in Mepham isvery big.. His dadsaved his friends life that day. } The coach told Bergerhe needed a physical. No. These parents are now lobbying for a national hazing law, one with severe penalties. 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. Mepham has big hill to climb against Garden City in battle of unbeatens ''Our parents are being blamed. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. 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. 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. 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? We love our community. 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). During the recessional, he submits to a seeminglyendless succession of embracesmuch like theones he received from his former teammates last nightat the wake. Mepham High School football hazing case tore Long Island apart in 2003. But my son says nobody knew he would cross theline., Andys son plays lacrosse. The emotional impact on him is unbelievable," adds Carol. Heand a group of kids have me surrounded. It's a couple of days.' 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. In an earlier proceeding, the three attackers, charged as juveniles, admitted to the assaults. At least one group of parents has decided they will continue to speak out. 1999, McAlester High School, Oklahoma: A football player suffered a head injury after he was jumped by older teammates in a locker-room hazing. Including dishwasher-safe Japanese porcelain, two sets of French-made knives, and a sleek kettle. And he's looking for something in the house to hurt himself.' Students ''don't know who to blame,'' said Allie. What LAppartement 4F Co-owner Ashley Coiffard Put on Her Wedding Registry. Pertzborn and assistant coach Brad Rogeberg were made aware of the initial bullying on July 24, 2022, according to the police report. 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.) "He's victimized because I asked him to do a favor in this. They demanded that the boy be barred from camp but were rebuffed, they said. Anyplayer that wants to be on the football team can be onthe team. Try as they might to rid themselves of it, students, parents and other residents are finding that the incident is now woven into the fabric of life here. I don't have psychic skills. The Nassau Conference II showdown between these two unbeatens has . But they dont want to appearself-serving, he says. Students moved from one cabin to another without the coaches' knowing, the report says. The public was barred from the hearing, but the penalties and the judges comments were disclosed by relatives of victims, lawyers and cops. 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 Half that shit they didisnt even that bad.. at Garden City. He went to camp but didntstay in the fated cabin. Youth sports are becoming too intense for young children to keep up with. I need to see a doctor,'" says Carol. The coaches, however, say that, in attempt to deal with Carney's threats to another member of the team, they put Reichstein's son in the cabin closest to them, and asked an upperclassman to keep an eye on both boys. But then come the off-color jokes about broomsticks and pine cones from his friends. Everyone in the pews has heard how the father had beendevastated by the criminal charges his son was facing.Aggravated assault. But its notthe only time I hear neighbors, even parents, floatthis notion. But the grand jury did not find the coaches criminally negligent. Once the season started, eight players tackled him inthe locker room and lowered him into the toilet; thistime, he says, it contained urine. Oct. 20, 2003. "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? Waiting outside in front of the hearseis a police escort, to ward off the media. 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. He was dyingto play for the Pirateshed gotten AmosZereoues autograph when Zereoue visited hisjunior high. A pack of teenagers congregates across the street from Mepham High School, smoking their cigarettes and clowning. He did more for me than any coach ever. What I know about the Berger incident isit did not involve hazing. "The bottom line is, if we did anything wrong, we wouldn't be sitting here talking to you," says Cannestro. If such a policy had been in place, one of the attackers would not have been allowed at the camp, the report says. Mary is athird-generation Bellmoron. Her boy,Kyle, played varsity. Once rated one of the best academic high schools in the nation, Mepham High is now mired in scandal. He had to tell people what happened to him," says Carol. "We went out. 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. Now, McElroy and Junior Varsity Coach Art Cannestro exclusively tell their story to 48 Hours. Should they also get paid the same amount even if another co-worker is better at their job? But I justgot off the phone with the mother of one of thevictims, and she told me that were her bestadvocate. A school divided Students split over Central board's decision to cancel Who? But the victims told their parents they were screaming at the top of their lungs. You may notstart, but youll be on the team.. And McElroy neverprevented him from playing on the varsity team. The guy grabbed me in front of the wholeteam, Berger says. Football is important to the high school experience and different familys history around the world. A problem arises though once try outs are over and the team is announced. "He was absolutely screaming. You know, what could be going on? That kid wassick! says a player named Rob. Soon after the first revelations of the attacks, the Reichsteins reached out to newspapers and television stations with their story. Most of themare yelling. 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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. 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. ''Our issue is our children are being blamed,'' said Paule Pachter, one of the parents in the group. The group, which calls itself Mepham Parents 4 Change, consists of eight families, but says it is quickly gathering support. 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. On Bellmore Avenue, themain drag in town, a mile or so east of Mepham,Docs Pub serves as an unofficial class-reunionspace. And don't you dare tell,'" says Kristina, who lobbied to get Carney thrown off the trip. 18 - 35 L. 10/15/2022. NEW! "He came to me and said, 'I'm bleeding. Signup for our newsletter to get notified about our next ride. I dont evencare what they did.. 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. As well as rebuking the attackers, the report criticizes the school system and the Pennsylvania judge who handled the cases. OK? They also understand they will need to sacrifice time, energy, and their social life in order to achieve these goals. However, it seems too important to let go. Your sonwoo hoo!Hes having fun. For many years, people have been debating about whether sports teams for kids should have selective tryouts. There are the ugly jokes, the signs and buttons declaring neighborhood solidarity, and for some people, new-found activism. Theyre investigating the possibility that some students were planning to attack their schoolmates. Diasparra cut a deal and received probation. Experts: Parents and coaches must be vigilant to curb hazing in teen A day later, the threeboys were suspended, and a student demonstrationerupted behind the schoolto the delight of theTV crews camped out there. Just because someone shows up and participates, doesnt not mean they deserve the same treatment as everyone else. Into the locker! During the first day of camp, the hazing was minor, such as one player smearing gel and powder into another's hair. 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 "I couldn't even process it in my head. I need to know for medical.' The grand jury has been investigating the attacks for months to determine whether the coaches should be indicted and what led to the assaults. It would be the adventure of his life five days of intense football in the woods of Pennsylvania. "He said to him, 'Don't even think of sleeping at football camp. With FamousAmos on the squad, the team made the county playoffsall four years. 28 - 13 W. 10/22/2022. 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. Where does it end?". The parents are organizing to demand that the school administration be held accountable for allowing the incident to occur, they said. He said, 'Well, your son was just online and saying he can't take it anymore. We got all new things to bring to pack. I cried," says Carol, who asked her friend, Jim Rullo, to make a speech on her behalf. At this point, though, those feelings have mostly worn off, replaced by a different set of reactions, from weary resolve to dark humor. 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. (Almost as prevalent is the idea, notconfirmed by police, that the linemans fathercommitted suicide. This email will be used to sign into all New York sites. The problem was with thekidsand with the parents who brought them upthat way., Sothe parents. Dominick Novello #2, Mepham quarterback, throws a pass during a rain-filled Nassau County football Conference II semifinal against Long Beach at Shuart Stadium on Friday, Nov. 11, 2022. 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 coach wentalong with canceling the season because he knew kidswere not coming forward. Still, they will be held accountable for what they did on some level, she added. 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. 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. We got the ball first on kick off and we made a touchdown on the first few drives.On. 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? 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. ''These assaults appear to have grown out of a history of hazing both at the football camp and at Mepham High School itself,'' the report says. We dont beat guysup., Some of his old teammates have gathered to buy drinksfrom him. In recent years, the Pirates havent done aswell, losing roughly as many games as theyvewon, but the coach remains a local legendafather figure who welcomes players to his house forbarbecues with his teenage daughters in attendance.Its not surprising, then, that McElroy and theadministration would be the first stop on thewhos-to-blame tour. This was the 94th meeting between the two schools . He suggests that broomsticks,golf balls, and pinecones are consistent withtraditional forms of hazing. Everyone should be so lucky.''. Regardless, I was all about making them the best well-rounded people before they head into the cruel world. 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. He wrestled instead. Theres a no-cut policy. 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.. After Dax Shepard asked her about her musical chairs relationship situation. School administrators, however, let him get on the bus anyway. All the while, older players watched and laughed. Its all fun and games, saysMcDermott. "We have a clip of the JV football scrimmage," says McElroy, who believes it proves that there was nothing obviously wrong. They feel a sense of guilt and shame that holds them back from saying anything and we see this is the Mepham High School Football case. The coaches, who supervised the trip, say that they had no idea any of this was happening during the camp. ''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. Watch this highlight video of the Mepham (North Bellmore, NY) football team in its game Recap: Mepham vs. MacArthur 2022 on Nov 4, 2022. Berger produced the requiredslip of paper. But for the victims' families, the report came as a vindication, they said. After bullying allegations, Middleton coach allowed to resign with Everything Everywhere All at Once has won in every category they were nominated for. "Something happened in between those practices every single time, to my son. But at a hearing in Honesdale, Pa., President Judge Robert Conway barred 16-year-old Tom Diasparra from returning to the Bellemore, L.I., high school and warned him to watch his step. No," says McElroy. Our community is being blamed. But the school board was unswayed by the coaches defenders. Nor did he suspendthe three alleged perpetrators, and as a result, theywere allowed to walk the hallways of Mepham High fornearly two weeks. They were later suspended from classes on September 18. Jonathan Anderson gets one of the first qualities of great fashion that it has to feel a bit strange. Yeah, that shit gotfreakin blown up. This story has been shared 140,209 times. "There's nothing anyone else could have done differently," adds Cannestro. We have more wealthy backgrounds, saysDanny. Murdaugh defense team plans to appeal conviction 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. "He didn't go to school for a long time. My first reason I believe athletes with bad grades shouldnt play sports, For years, the use of performance-enhancing drugs has haunted all levels of sport, baseball taking the majority of the publicity. !Effin this, effinthatyoure not coming on my team,youre done, youre done, youredone! And I started screaming at him.. Kevin McElroy, the man in charge of the football camp and Mepham High School's head coach, has remained silent for the last six months. My sons not. A football captain begged for the season to be reinstated, and his pleas were met with thunderous applause. 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. A few blocks from school, Allie Pagano and Sarah Mirenda, both 14, stop at the local pizza shop, Luigi's, on their way home. (Smith/AP) Last week's criminal charges involving six New Mexico high school football players alleged to have sexually . Rick Scott Is Unfortunately Right About Novak Djokovic. Long Island high school rocked by lurid football hazing scandal 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. In 1994, Wesley Bergerwas a Mepham freshman, a football player with a shelfof trophiesMVP for the peewee league,fastest-runner and best-tackler awards. Research shows that 70% of kids drop out of sports for many reasons and not making the team is one. The coaches would have to be everywhere at thesame time, says Dave Hill. I think the kids covered it up to saveCoach Mac and save their season., Tending bar at Docs is Rob McDermott, class of95. Athletes must commit time to practice and traveling. The priest declares that the father had nothingbut life ahead of him. He said his surgery was a success, but he needs time to heal before he can tour again. "Standing up and giving a 'rah, rah' when my son and the other boys are hurting in this way is so disrespectful. College athletics are oftentimes not as glamorous as one would think. Sofia was sentenced to the boot camp and Carney to the detention center both in Pennsylvania. Here's why food advocates are worried they cant afford it. 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. He never brought this incident toMcElroys attention; he must have brought it tothe JV coachs attention. mepham high school football scandal - tourdefat.com I notice when they're injured. Sofia was sent to a boot camp, and Carney was sent to a juvenile detention center. Correspondent Peter Van Sant reports. A day later, the three alleged victims are stillhaving broomsticks thrown at them from cars in theparking lot. Privacy Policy and Husband of woman murdered with an ax convicted 40 years after her death Oh, Loosey! I should just sit there and go, 'Hmm, he's hazing him.' How a tragic boating crash is connected to the family of Alex Murdaugh That blond buzzcut, the baby face, the meager beginnings of agoateehes only 16, too young to beburying his father. "He made that statement and from that day on, he's been, his family, harassed by letters and threats," says Carol. It devastated us. It was supposed to be fun, and glorious. Future of Sayreville football coaches may hinge on supervision

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