mepham high school football scandal

Full speed," says McElroy. 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. When I was in ninth grade, says Lohman,my father died and my mother wanted to move toFlorida. Offscreen, he was one himself. Bells toll. 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.. "There's nothing anyone else could have done differently," adds Cannestro. He really was.". Trending News For me, this challenge helped me develop as a person than will work harder and strive for the best in my academics. A few blocks from school, Allie Pagano and Sarah Mirenda, both 14, stop at the local pizza shop, Luigi's, on their way home. College athletics are oftentimes not as glamorous as one would think. Long Beach. 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. The superintendent, while admonishing the team for notcooperating with the investigation, has also putforward a tidy defense of McElroy and the principal,Didden. Broomsticks dipped in mineral ice, a kind of liquid heat, golf balls, pine cones and toothbrushes, were all pushed into the boy's rectums. On 10/29, the Mepham varsity football team won their away conference game against Sewanhaka (Floral Park, NY) by a score of 27-12. Thanks for contacting us. 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. Husband of woman murdered with an ax convicted 40 years after her death Trust me been there done that, the most regretted thing about school sports for many are tryouts. Touring the world with friends one mile and pub at a time; Instead, they were treated as juveniles. In that case, new players at. Children have strived for years to make their parents, teachers and coaches proud of them. Ken Carney, 16, the ringleader of the attacks, was well-known by school administrators as a disciplinary problem. A day later, the threeboys were suspended, and a student demonstrationerupted behind the schoolto the delight of theTV crews camped out there. CNN. Once in high school, senior athletes have scouts that come out to see them play. Now, McElroy and Junior Varsity Coach Art Cannestro exclusively tell their story to 48 Hours. "We went out. 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. Mepham was known mainlyfor its wrestling program until Coach Mac arrived in1986. Pertzborn and assistant coach Brad Rogeberg were made aware of the initial bullying on July 24, 2022, according to the police report. "We have a clip of the JV football scrimmage," says McElroy, who believes it proves that there was nothing obviously wrong. We got all new things to bring to pack. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. But critics say their mistakes started early. He wrestled instead. So, no., But, you know, says McDermott, ifthey wanted to do it? I think they hated me because I introduced the pull-up to their strength and conditioning program. In the bunks, 17-year-old players were assigned to watch over 13-year-old boys. 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. Im theprincipal, he said, and Illdecide who can go on the trip. The lineman wasallowed to go to camp. 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. And he was very excited," recalls Patty. And my son said, 'They inserted a broomstick.'". Reichsteins wife,Kristina, then begged Didden to make an example of thelineman. This is hard tosayI know he was a good coach and a lot of kidsliked him. Parents are paying up on school meals again. Signup for our newsletter to get notified about our next ride. Just because someone shows up and participates, doesnt not mean they deserve the same treatment as everyone else. 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. But he wonders whether whathappened at camp could have been prevented if hehadnt settled his lawsuit. These towns lost seventeenpeople in the World Trade Center attacks.Theyre places whose kids go to college locallyand then settle here and raise families. Everyone should be so lucky.''. Tryouts are the worst thing about sports, they bring nothing but more stress to your plate. That blond buzzcut, the baby face, the meager beginnings of agoateehes only 16, too young to beburying his father. He was 40 years old. Hasnt hebeen through enough? 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. His dadsaved his friends life that day. The two boys join their sister tobring the Communion offerings forward as the mournerssing Be Not Afraid.. But the school district, which canceled the football season last fall, has now, after seeing the grand jury report, relieved the coaches of their teaching positions at Mepham. I notice when they're injured. On 11/4, the Mepham varsity football team won their home playoff game against Elmont Memorial (Elmont, NY) by a score of 14-7. He was benched for two years as the lawsuit creptthrough the legal system. What's more, the 16-year-old ringleader of the assaults had his own history of disciplinary problems. "He didn't go to school for a long time. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. mepham high school football scandal. The coaches' lawyer and officials for the Bellmore-Merrick School District did not comment on the report's findings or its criticisms. "He's victimized because I asked him to do a favor in this. display: none; But other voices emerge at the meeting, corroboratingthe victims contention that hazing is a fact oflife at Mepham. Four members of the faculty were either fired or forced out because of the scandal. At 1:21 p.m. last Friday, the Mepham High School football and cheerleading squads should have rushed onto Mepham's field for a Not like Wesley Berger, Vic says.Hes overexposed.. Now even they, however, have grown weary, wishing for a return to their old life. But others angrily argue that not enough attention is being paid to the victims' ordeals. 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. The crime scene evidence that convicted Alex Murdaugh My sons not. In earlier interviews, the head coach, Kevin McElroy, and his four assistants have said they did not know about the attacks, and could have done nothing to prevent them. But the victims told their parents they were screaming at the top of their lungs. 2023 Vox Media, LLC. It's, like, they're monsters," says Patty. That kid wassick! says a player named Rob. But for the victims' families, the report came as a vindication, they said. #inline-recirc-item--id-a617c056-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d, #right-rail-recirc-item--id-a617c056-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d { They could be home as early as next month. Waiting outside in front of the hearseis a police escort, to ward off the media. If they have failing grades as well, the colleges are sending their students into the world without a real chance at becoming professional athletes, and without an actual education. He alwayslistened. 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. '', ''This is a wake-up call,'' said the father of one of the victims, who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect his son. He says the coach started yelling.Hes like, No! We were afraid they would walk away with probation.. You know, what could be going on? We're checking it off. 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. ''It's got to end here. 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. When people talked aboutMepham, they talked about Famous Amos. We're in education because we love kids.". In my opinion, a good education is so very important for our countrys youth, especially the athletes. Nothing.". "He was screaming. Nassau County Girl Scouts fundraise for victims of quake in Syria, Turkey at Masjid Hamza, Powered by Creative Circle Media Solutions. What Made Maddy Run by Kate Fagan shows just that. He never judged us, saysDave Lohman, class of 94. And he stands where the priest stood and speaks,reading from crinkled sheets of paper rapidly, almostinaudibly, in a low monotone. Then it became a football school. On September 17, the Bellmore-Merrick Central HighSchool District Board of Education canceledMepham's football season. 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. The Mepham-Garden City football game this week could be a juicy one. Berger sayshe got up and called his dad, who went straight to thecoaches. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. And I know the family of one of theattackers. The football players were unfairly penalized by the sanctions that were placed on the team. Most are no longer talking about the issue publicly, tired of the maelstrom of feelings that is stirred each time. When a. Statistically showing, at least 100,000 college football players get hurt yearly. More than 60 players attended the camp, including the boy's best friend Patty and Jimmy's son who was also just 13. Werent theyalready on the right track? Four days ago, hisfather died in his sleep. We care about kids. One of the attackers was allowed to attend camp despite a history of disciplinary problems and not having a permission slip. Imagine your best friends making the school soccer team and you getting cut, because your not ready or there is no room. 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. I need to know for medical.' For Carol's son, it doesn't end. "He came to me and said, 'I'm bleeding. One student lifts up another and dumps him, legs flailing, in a bush. The priest declares that the father had nothingbut life ahead of him. There's supervision, like any other school event.". The morals, the attitudes, of a Mepham student,are different, suggests another Kennedy player,Danny. But my son says nobody knew he would cross theline., Andys son plays lacrosse. Students attend a pep rally at Mepham High School in Bellmore, N.Y. 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. Thelinemans fathers death on October 5created one delay in moving the case forward; otherdelays have been due to the attorneys effortsto bring the case back to juvenile status, and tonegotiate their clients surrender into custody. "What constitutes a scream?" Relatives of the victims, 13 and 14 at the time of the attacks, expressed satisfaction at the outcome. 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. Instead, thevictims were laughed at in the halls, calledfaggot and broomstick boy.The superintendent, Thomas Caramore, shielded theschool from inquiries at first. McElroy hadnothing to do with this kid, Joe Rosenthalsays. Watch this highlight video of the Mepham (North Bellmore, NY) football team in its game Recap: Mepham vs. South Side 2022 on Oct 22, 2022. The coach wentalong with canceling the season because he knew kidswere not coming forward. This has allowed more and more players to look to PEDs in order to gain an edge over their opponents. One afternoon after practice, they air theirtheories, the chief one being that the lineman musthave been traumatized as a kid. Sofia LaSpina has etched her name in Long Island history. I said, 'What's the matter?' This was the 94th meeting between the two schools . Its the kind of bar where people stillsmoke and no one cares. The Biden administrations policy of blocking unvaccinated people from the country continues to make little sense. 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. No! And he's looking for something in the house to hurt himself.' Michelle Yeoh Promises No Swearing, Only Tears During Best Lead Performance Win.

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