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. And he was very excited," recalls Patty. Everyone laughs. And I know the family of one of theattackers. So it just goes on and on. I ask. Research shows that 70% of kids drop out of sports for many reasons and not making the team is one. More than 60 players attended the camp, including the boy's best friend Patty and Jimmy's son who was also just 13. The grand jury has been investigating the attacks for months to determine whether the coaches should be indicted and what led to the assaults. Mepham High School Football Tragedy 1056 Words | 5 Pages. The two boys join their sister tobring the Communion offerings forward as the mournerssing Be Not Afraid.. By the end of three exciting days in Atlantic City, 14 champions will emerge at the NJSIAA/Rothman Orthopaedics State . High schools on Long Island have led a crackdown on rough-housing since the 2003 Mepham High School football training camp hazing scandal rocked the nation. 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 one of four captains chosen by CoachMac his senior season.
Mepham High School Football Scandal - nymag.com This is hard tosayI know he was a good coach and a lot of kidsliked him. "You didn't monitor him very carefully, obviously," says Patty of what happened to her 13-year-old son. Bells toll. Because if these attacks are acceptedas hazing, then the school is responsible. 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. Moreover, they must spend money on equipment, clothing, and food (37). "He said to him, 'Don't even think of sleeping at football camp. Dont eventhink about sleeping at camp, he said. The victims didn't tell us. False imprisonment.
Mepham High School Football Coach Anthony Cracco's Sex Scandal Has The report criticized the Wayne County judge, Robert Conway, for his decision not to move the attackers' cases from juvenile to adult court. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Mephamsstudent body is pulled from the northern part of thecommunity, where there are $50,000-a-year jobs and theschool parking lot is dominated by Chevys and Fords. Anotherparent, Jim Rullo, delivers a prepared statement onbehalf of the victims families. McElroy and his coaching staff claim they had no responsibility for a vicious alleged hazing incident at a training camp in Pennsylvania in August. Pertzborn and assistant coach Brad Rogeberg were made aware of the initial bullying on July 24, 2022, according to the police report. Students should not have to tryout for school sports. For me, this challenge helped me develop as a person than will work harder and strive for the best in my academics. It was supposed to be fun, and glorious.
That kid wassick! says a player named Rob. "He was after my son morning, noon, and night. In my mind, the school made a major error innot suspending these three allegedperpetrators, says Robert Kelly, an attorneyfor two victims. 28 - 13 W. 10/22/2022. Weve been 0 and 8 since 1999!says James.
Coach speaks out for first time on LI football team hazing allegations Heand a group of kids have me surrounded. Once the season started, eight players tackled him inthe locker room and lowered him into the toilet; thistime, he says, it contained urine. But then come the off-color jokes about broomsticks and pine cones from his friends. Trust me been there done that, the most regretted thing about school sports for many are tryouts. Theyre investigating the possibility that some students were planning to attack their schoolmates. 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. The boy was a member of the 2007 Charlton County High School junior varsity golf team. . 49 - 18 W. Instead, they were treated as juveniles. Thats when Berger says Coach Mac lunged athimhis hand reaching the boys throat. A minivan with two others whizzes by, music blaring. Hasnt hebeen through enough? Parents are paying up on school meals again. Kevin Minnick | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com | Dec 7, 2022. at Garden City. Hed just beat upon peoplehed be walking by andboom! 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. It involved a fight amongteenage boys. A problem arises though once try outs are over and the team is announced. 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 It devastated us. Students attend a pep rally at Mepham High School in Bellmore, N.Y. Also it brings down students self esteem. A day later, the three alleged victims are stillhaving broomsticks thrown at them from cars in theparking lot. 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. On the second day, the incidents became brutal. College athletics are oftentimes not as glamorous as one would think. 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. He was dyingto play for the Pirateshed gotten AmosZereoues autograph when Zereoue visited hisjunior high. The question has whirled aroundBellmore for weeks: Who would raise a child who woulddo this to another child? Hes the man of the family now. Meanwhile, Nassau police on Monday found a found a cache of weapons near the school including baseball bats and golf clubs. These individuals hope to be part of something special, whether its achieving individual goals or team goals. All the negative attention has galvanized them, they said. 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. We wanted them to be tried as adults, but we lost that battle. maize high school basketball roster. 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.
Future of Sayreville football coaches may hinge on supervision I was by far the besthalfback on the team, Berger says, now 23 butstill angry. One afternoon after practice, they air theirtheories, the chief one being that the lineman musthave been traumatized as a kid. Kristina and Vic Reichstein stand upand say their son, a freshman, was threatened by thelineman during practice in July and August. 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. } 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. asks McElroy. 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.
After bullying allegations, Middleton coach allowed to resign with 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. But the victims told their parents they were screaming at the top of their lungs. Parents demanded:Shouldnt they have been there to stop theseboys? They had hoped that the three assailants (Phil Sofia, Ken Carney, and Tom Diasparra) would be tried as adults for the crimes. Reichsteins wife,Kristina, then begged Didden to make an example of thelineman. ''Despite these warnings and policies, the players all expected hazing to take place in one form or another at the camp,'' the report said. "He was robbed of his innocence. Coach Mac talked to my mom, convinced us tostay. Whos going to give him thatmoney now? Dozens of Long Island parents outraged at the handling of broomstick hazing assaults at a Mepham High School football camp are organizing a secret meeting tomorrow to plan action against. "The kid who just made the tackle," says Cannestro, identifying one of the players on the tape. At 1:21 p.m. last Friday, the Mepham High School football and cheerleading squads should have rushed onto Mepham's field for a Watch this highlight video of the Mepham (North Bellmore, NY) football team in its game Recap: Mepham vs. MacArthur 2022 on Nov 4, 2022.
Scandal at New Jersey High school reopens hazing debate Stats are entered by the coach or designated team statistician in the admin. 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. Those kids are running at full speed. How could we have known?". Students moved from one cabin to another without the coaches' knowing, the report says. I should just sit there and go, 'Hmm, he's hazing him.' And who you can expect to see performing and presenting. Some parents and athletes believe equal playing time for all sports and activities is deserved all through their middle school and high school careers. 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. What's more, the 16-year-old ringleader of the assaults had his own history of disciplinary problems. We got all new things to bring to pack. He alwayslistened. 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. He suggests that broomsticks,golf balls, and pinecones are consistent withtraditional forms of hazing. Nothing.". But it wasn't until Jan. 11, after a possible sexual assault that occurred the previous week, that the high school's school resource officer, Kim Wood, was made aware of the "ongoing harassment behavior toward a student/member of the varsity football team . 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. He was always in troubleat school, but not in football. They speak ofbroomsticks, pinecones, and golf balls. You could just seehe had so much anger in him. 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 have more wealthy backgrounds, saysDanny. Three days after camp ended, Carol and Vinny's son asked for help. We've received your submission. Then it became a football school. However, some would argue to say high school football is too dangerous to keep around. Sofia LaSpina has etched her name in Long Island history. In the bunks, 17-year-old players were assigned to watch over 13-year-old boys.
L.I. Village Split Over Decision To Forfeit Game Over Hazing The Mepham-Garden City football game this week could be a juicy one. At least one group of parents has decided they will continue to speak out. A few blocks from school, Allie Pagano and Sarah Mirenda, both 14, stop at the local pizza shop, Luigi's, on their way home. Parents are paying up on school meals again. Many parents, especially those with children on the football team, have found it hard adjusting to their new reality in the center of a fishbowl. 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. The way they walked? Hisfriend was a captain on the team, he maybe was gonnaget a scholarship. Thepurported ringleader, according to police, was thelineman. If you do something wrong, youd better go home and pack your toothbrush because youll pay the consequences, he told the teen. Despite the linemans threats, noone could have anticipated what happened atcamp, Caramore told parents in a speech, adding thatwhatever happened wasnt hazing:None of us in Bellmore-Merrick has used thatterm to define what is, in fact, a brutalcrime., The hazing-or-not debate is a key factor in the legalbattles to come. For many years, people have been debating about whether sports teams for kids should have selective tryouts. He says the coach started yelling.Hes like, No! We're checking it off. We love our children. "I don't want everything he's gone through to be just a waste.