I heard the kidliked it.. I don't have psychic skills. "They have to be lying.". Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. 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. You may notstart, but youll be on the team.. The boy was a member of the 2007 Charlton County High School junior varsity golf team. A minivan with two others whizzes by, music blaring. This was the 94th meeting between the two schools . "Standing up and giving a 'rah, rah' when my son and the other boys are hurting in this way is so disrespectful. A failure can be a downward spiral or a setback turning into a benefit. 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 she accepts her Someone to Watch award on stage. He was one of four captains chosen by CoachMac his senior season. Amos scored 29 touchdowns in hisjunior year and broke all of Long Islandsrushing records. I dont evencare what they did.. 2023 Vox Media, LLC. The coach told Bergerhe needed a physical. But I justgot off the phone with the mother of one of thevictims, and she told me that were her bestadvocate. 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. By the end of three exciting days in Atlantic City, 14 champions will emerge at the NJSIAA/Rothman Orthopaedics State .
Coach speaks out for first time on LI football team hazing allegations Vic and Kristina have done The Early Show and20/20. Ken Carney, 16, the ringleader of the attacks, was well-known by school administrators as a disciplinary problem. "He's one of the victims.". Hes been introuble before, that kid. 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. Some kids even approach them and suggestthat the time has come to let bygones be bygones.Their logic is biblicalan eye for an eye.The linemans father died! "The kid who just made the tackle," says Cannestro, identifying one of the players on the tape. 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. 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. He previously suffered a brain aneurysm on February 18, and was ultimately taken off life support. Parents demanded:Shouldnt they have been there to stop theseboys? 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. We care about kids. I want to thank my assistant coach who is the baseball expert. For me, this challenge helped me develop as a person than will work harder and strive for the best in my academics. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Please enter valid email address to continue. They speak ofbroomsticks, pinecones, and golf balls. How could we have known?".
Dangerous Minds - CBS News 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. It would be the adventure of his life five days of intense football in the woods of Pennsylvania. After Dax Shepard asked her about her musical chairs relationship situation. We were afraid they would walk away with probation.. In an earlier proceeding, the three attackers, charged as juveniles, admitted to the assaults. Bellmore Journal; Life Goes On but Is Altered After School Scandal. Theres a no-cut policy. A few blocks from school, Allie Pagano and Sarah Mirenda, both 14, stop at the local pizza shop, Luigi's, on their way home. 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. 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.. at Garden City. ''Despite these warnings and policies, the players all expected hazing to take place in one form or another at the camp,'' the report said. Other players laughed, the report said. West Jersey Football League all-stars: United Division, 2022. These towns lost seventeenpeople in the World Trade Center attacks.Theyre places whose kids go to college locallyand then settle here and raise families. Kids have come to practice Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday, and Friday to get better, while their academics are suffering. The abuse occurred day and night, and young players were attacked repeatedly and forced to sodomize each other, the report says. His dadsaved his friends life that day. And he was very excited," recalls Patty. 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). 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. Mary is athird-generation Bellmoron. Her boy,Kyle, played varsity.
Report Says Hazing Culture Led to Attacks On 3 Athletes 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.
School Board Votes to Dismiss 5 Mepham Football Coaches This story has been shared 140,209 times. 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. Students ''don't know who to blame,'' said Allie. 18 - 35 L. 10/15/2022. asks McElroy. Should a person get paid just for showing up for there a job and not actually doing anything? Including intelligent heated gloves, soothing foot rollers, and classic cabbage-shaped servingware. We dontalways understand, and we dont alwayssee. He attempts a little levityIknow he shared his hopes for the Yankees with theLordbefore straining for profundity:The great artist has finished hisportrait. He urges the mourners to say a prayerfor the family.
If you do something wrong, youd better go home and pack your toothbrush because youll pay the consequences, he told the teen. All rights reserved. Tell us how you did it coach. These words were forced into my face with a camera lens almost resting against my cheeks (page 395). I went to summerschool with them. The lineman, he says,was always starting fights. Decent football player, though.. "Not once. The school also erred by putting the coaches in one cabin and leaving the players in other cabins, supervised only by an older teammate, the report says. You\'ll receive the next newsletter in your inbox. Everyone in the pews has heard how the father had beendevastated by the criminal charges his son was facing.Aggravated assault. Clutching their schoolbooks in their arms, Allie and Sarah said they actually felt tremendous pride in their school these days. Kristina and Vic Reichstein stand upand say their son, a freshman, was threatened by thelineman during practice in July and August. In my opinion, a good education is so very important for our countrys youth, especially the athletes. Trending News Both told stories of defending their school when they were teased by students outside the district and cited the ''Mepham Pride'' buttons that they and many classmates have taken to wearing. For many years, people have been debating about whether sports teams for kids should have selective tryouts. The boy, wearing a regulation backward baseball cap,is standing at the schools west entrance. Now, McElroy and Junior Varsity Coach Art Cannestro exclusively tell their story to 48 Hours. Berger sayshe got up and called his dad, who went straight to thecoaches. Anyplayer that wants to be on the football team can be onthe team. "He's victimized because I asked him to do a favor in this. But the school board was unswayed by the coaches defenders. My father was agreat man, he begins, and tells a story of howhis dad once saw a crashed, burning car, pulled overand ran to help, and discovered that the guy trappedin the passengers seat was a friend. Weve been 0 and 8 since 1999!says James. On 11/4, the Mepham varsity football team won their home playoff game against Elmont Memorial (Elmont, NY) by a score of 14-7. 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. ''Our issue is our children are being blamed,'' said Paule Pachter, one of the parents in the group. Thanks for contacting us. 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. Go ahead. The problem was with thekidsand with the parents who brought them upthat way., Sothe parents. Over the next few days, the broomstick assaults were repeated. Two of the kids are underclassmen, littlekids, he says. 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. We dont beat guysup., Some of his old teammates have gathered to buy drinksfrom him. 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. My sons not. That kid wassick! says a player named Rob. 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. No," says McElroy. MEPHAM COACHES BOOTED IN HAZING SCANDAL News MEPHAM COACHES BOOTED IN HAZING SCANDAL By Kieran Crowely November 6, 2003 5:00am Hugged by his team captain and cheered by supporters, Mepham. Nassau County Girl Scouts fundraise for victims of quake in Syria, Turkey at Masjid Hamza, Powered by Creative Circle Media Solutions. At last nights meeting, one player called the coaches caring role models, and team captain Dan Cosenza hugged McElroy. Offscreen, he was one himself. display: none; Once rated one of the best academic high. All the while, older players watched and laughed.
MEPHAM COACHES BOOTED IN HAZING SCANDAL - New York Post 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.. The way they walked? Did a kid come and tell us? When parents came to an emergency meeting on September16 with the principal and superintendent, they heardnot mea culpas but accusations. He had his little list. During his career, the prolific actor inhabited an array of troubled characters. Thursday, November 6, 2003 Posted: 1537 GMT (11:37 PM HKT) Story Tools. Was there anything that indicated they were injured or traumatized? Imagine your best friends making the school soccer team and you getting cut, because your not ready or there is no room. What we're saying is, I notice when somebody's limping. Most are no longer talking about the issue publicly, tired of the maelstrom of feelings that is stirred each time. The morals, the attitudes, of a Mepham student,are different, suggests another Kennedy player,Danny. Hugged by his team captain and cheered by supporters, Mepham HSs head football coach was fired last night and his four assistants got the boot, too. There are the ugly jokes, the signs and buttons declaring neighborhood solidarity, and for some people, new-found activism. 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. 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. Mysons season has been completely fucked up! It is in the best interests of our students and the success of our program that the present coaches not be re-appointed, said Bellmore-Merrick school-board member Norbert Billig. However, it seems too important to let go. What's more, before camp, parents Victor and Kristina Reichstein say Carney threatened their 13-year-old son. 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). Both coaches still don't understand why they're being blamed for what happened last summer at Mepham High School's football camp. 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. It devastated us. 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. He told Pennsylvaniapolice that he couldnt release informationabout a student without a subpoena. 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. What I know about the Berger incident isit did not involve hazing. Sofia LaSpina has etched her name in Long Island history. OK?
Football: State record broken in Holy Spirit's Thanksgiving win over In the end, they will be left unprepared for life. On September 17, the Bellmore-Merrick Central HighSchool District Board of Education canceledMepham's football season. ''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. 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. (516) 569-4000, To donate or for more information, click here, Chamber, mayors office are no match for the Thunderbolts. ", "Did a parent come and complain to us? We love our community. "He said to him, 'Don't even think of sleeping at football camp. "Yeah," says Cannestro.
Bellmore Journal; Life Goes On but Is Altered After School Scandal Mepham Football team - Long Island High School Sports - Newsday And one of the leaders selected joined with two other varsity players to sodomize these children. 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. Jason Statham and Aubrey Plaza do not seem like a match made in action-comedy-chemistry heaven, but it somehow works. Not, 'Coach, things aren't good over here.' You know, what could be going on? 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 practice, theyd put meon the B squad and Id tear up the Asquad. He says he stayed on the team for twoyears but was allowed on the field only once,returning a kickoff 50 yards. A day later, the threeboys were suspended, and a student. 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. 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. We have more wealthy backgrounds, saysDanny. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. The issue of blame, however, continues to polarize parents and promises to loom larger as the criminal case moves ahead. A day later, the threeboys were suspended, and a student demonstrationerupted behind the schoolto the delight of theTV crews camped out there. Children have strived for years to make their parents, teachers and coaches proud of them. According to the report, ''a lack of accountability appears to permeate the entire structure of the administration and running of this camp program.'' False imprisonment. Terroristicthreats. some by the crimes, others by the cancellation of the season. The crime scene evidence that convicted Alex Murdaugh Waiting outside in front of the hearseis a police escort, to ward off the media. "What constitutes a scream?" 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. And he stands where the priest stood and speaks,reading from crinkled sheets of paper rapidly, almostinaudibly, in a low monotone. Many have lost sight of the fact that baseball players are not the only athletes that face this life threatening addiction. Students should not have to tryout for school sports. The emotional impact on him is unbelievable," adds Carol. "You didn't monitor him very carefully, obviously," says Patty of what happened to her 13-year-old son. #inline-recirc-item--id-a617c056-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d ~ .item:nth-child(5) { Although some parents claim that their child has felt so defeated by an unsuccessful tryout that they dont want to continue with the sport, this is not always what happens. We wanted them to be tried as adults, but we lost that battle. Our community is being blamed. Doyou know who I am?, The freshman, trying to show a little backbone,replied: This is America. No one understands this better thanMark Alter, the lawyer for the alleged ringleader.The fact that its egregious allegationsdoes not necessarily mean its not a juvenilecase, says Alter. Whos going to give him thatmoney now? However, earning your position, being undeserving of playing time, and coaches trying to win in their respected program are all issues that need to be thought of before people begin fighting for equal playing time. Im theprincipal, he said, and Illdecide who can go on the trip. The lineman wasallowed to go to camp. What about the boys who were raped? You could just seehe had so much anger in him. It was supposed to be fun, and glorious. The parents are organizing to demand that the school administration be held accountable for allowing the incident to occur, they said. Students have pushed their bodies to the limits, causing extreme injury that will hold them back from sports in the future. "He [my son] called several times. "Something happened in between those practices every single time, to my son. And McElroy neverprevented him from playing on the varsity team. He quotes oneof the boys as saying, I will never trustanyone again. A grand jury report later described how they used duct tape to pull off their children's pubic hair, how they forced them and another boy they sodomized to kick each other in the groin, and then threatened to beat and kill all of them if they told anybody. Sofia was sent to a boot camp, and Carney was sent to a juvenile detention center. 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.) Three days after camp ended, Carol and Vinny's son asked for help. The lineman was furious. "They had bags of ice and they were bashing it all over his body until the bags broke. This is hard tosayI know he was a good coach and a lot of kidsliked him. 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. Parents are paying up on school meals again. He used to play in the minor leagues and the team loved him because of his dedication to their lives and his credibility at baseball. The owner of the store posted a sign in his window earlier this month: ''We are Bellmore. Moreover, they must spend money on equipment, clothing, and food (37).
Long Island high school rocked by lurid football hazing scandal Mepham High School (North Bellmore, NY) Varsity Football - MaxPreps.com The coaches' lawyer and officials for the Bellmore-Merrick School District did not comment on the report's findings or its criticisms. 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. Adds Jesse: Mepham kids say,Youre from Kennedy, and punch us.Theyre the bully school, the physical school.Even in middle school, we knew which kids were goingto Mepham and which to Kennedy.. 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). And don't you dare tell,'" says Kristina, who lobbied to get Carney thrown off the trip. But even those who are, still have an astonishingly low chance at making the professional leagues. says McElroy. Mepham High School Football Tragedy 1056 Words | 5 Pages. Long Beach. Who doyou think you are? said the lineman, accordingto Reichsteins son. The kid that did it, I feel so bad forhim, the boy says. Mepham was known mainlyfor its wrestling program until Coach Mac arrived in1986. Hes dangerous, hes terrifying, hes an extra in, How to Watch the 2023 Oscars Celebrate All 23 Categories Live Again. Theres no way youcant play me. Youre old enough to knowwhat youre doing., I had some friends who were older, saysMcDermott. No. NEW 'REAGAN' DEBATE - GOP RIPS SHOWTIME FOR TAKING SERIES 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. At Mepham High School on Long Island, the entire football season was canceled after players admitted to sadistically hazing fellow teammates. "All of a sudden, you get this child who's been broken. Were more Jewish! another kidyells, laughing. And he's looking for something in the house to hurt himself.' He went to camp but didntstay in the fated cabin. Research shows that 70% of kids drop out of sports for many reasons and not making the team is one. Thanks for contacting us. They reallycouldnt do anything about it. One was sent to a boot camp, another to a juvenile treatment facility and the third returned home on probation. In the bunks, 17-year-old players were assigned to watch over 13-year-old boys. 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.