Pertzborn and assistant coach Brad Rogeberg were made aware of the initial bullying on July 24, 2022, according to the police report. False imprisonment. At 1:21 p.m. last Friday, the Mepham High School football and cheerleading squads should have rushed onto Mepham's field for a The conversation easily shifts to a defenseof Coach Mac. 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. At least one group of parents has decided they will continue to speak out. Mary is athird-generation Bellmoron. Her boy,Kyle, played varsity. He never judged us, saysDave Lohman, class of 94. The issue spans to not only the professional level, but the high school and collegiate divisions as well. display: none; Days later, the school wentahead with its annual pep rally, in a gesture ofsupport for Coach Mac and the sidelined Pirates. At Mepham High School on Long Island, the entire football season was canceled after players admitted to sadistically hazing fellow teammates. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. "You didn't monitor him very carefully, obviously," says Patty of what happened to her 13-year-old son. Theyre a beautiful family. He went to camp but didntstay in the fated cabin. We've received your submission. 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. After Allegations of Abuse, A Football Season Is Canceled 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). I was by far the besthalfback on the team, Berger says, now 23 butstill angry. Sofia LaSpina first Long Island female football player to score TD "Something happened in between those practices every single time, to my son. Were more Jewish! another kidyells, laughing. Most of the shit they did was pranks,like shaving cream, one Mepham boy tells me ona sunny Wednesday, a day before the funeral of thelinemans father. "The gastroenterologist said, 'What happened? 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 suggests that broomsticks,golf balls, and pinecones are consistent withtraditional forms of hazing. For a select number of fortunate athletes, that dream becomes a reality when they commit to a school and sign their letter of intent. Experts: Parents and coaches must be vigilant to curb hazing in teen In the end, they will be left unprepared for life. 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. All rights reserved. Jonathan Anderson gets one of the first qualities of great fashion that it has to feel a bit strange. Sports in Mepham isvery big.. The parents are organizing to demand that the school administration be held accountable for allowing the incident to occur, they said. Are you on crack? During the recessional, he submits to a seeminglyendless succession of embracesmuch like theones he received from his former teammates last nightat the wake. The priest declares that the father had nothingbut life ahead of him. But my son says nobody knew he would cross theline., Andys son plays lacrosse. Dont eventhink about sleeping at camp, he said. 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. What's gonna come out of this is another parent is gonna say, 'Oh, I'm gonna make sure there's no hazing at my school.'" McElroy says district policy discourages it: "To put a coach in the room, you're putting the coach or the adult right now at incredible risk of sexual charges.". The two boys join their sister tobring the Communion offerings forward as the mournerssing Be Not Afraid.. Sofia was sentenced to the boot camp and Carney to the detention center both in Pennsylvania. !Effin this, effinthatyoure not coming on my team,youre done, youre done, youredone! And I started screaming at him.. Amos scored 29 touchdowns in hisjunior year and broke all of Long Islandsrushing records. According to a local new report, two older students called the boy to the back of the bus and, in addition to the wedgie, punched the 13-year-old in the groin and stomach all as a part of an initiation ritual. Once rated one of the best academic high schools in the nation, Mepham High is now mired in scandal. #inline-recirc-item--id-a617c056-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d ~ .item:nth-child(5) { Two of the kids are underclassmen, littlekids, he says. Theyre sick of reporters, andtheyre worried about the lineman. Football: State record broken in Holy Spirit's Thanksgiving win over Meanwhile, Nassau police on Monday found a found a cache of weapons near the school including baseball bats and golf clubs. They also understand they will need to sacrifice time, energy, and their social life in order to achieve these goals. Just because someone shows up and participates, doesnt not mean they deserve the same treatment as everyone else. #inline-recirc-item--id-a617c056-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d, #right-rail-recirc-item--id-a617c056-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d { Thanks for contacting us. } "The question should not be the coaches should have known. Kristina and Vic Reichstein stand upand say their son, a freshman, was threatened by thelineman during practice in July and August. These towns lost seventeenpeople in the World Trade Center attacks.Theyre places whose kids go to college locallyand then settle here and raise families. But the school board was unswayed by the coaches defenders. Most students, the girls say, have not gotten caught up in the anger and recrimination that have divided their parents. Gavin Roman broke the state record for most catches in a season during Holy Spirit's 63-34 rivalry win against Atlantic City in Absecon. It's the biggest week of the year for high school wrestling fans. The coach wentalong with canceling the season because he knew kidswere not coming forward. The coaches' lawyer and officials for the Bellmore-Merrick School District did not comment on the report's findings or its criticisms. Long Beach. I heard the kidliked it.. 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. The coaches say they were staying in another cabin less than 50 yards from the players, and if anyone screamed, they would have heard it. Research shows that 70% of kids drop out of sports for many reasons and not making the team is one. Where does it end?". But they dont want to appearself-serving, he says. Once rated one of the best academic high. McElroy and his coaching staff claim they had no responsibility for a vicious alleged hazing incident at a training camp in Pennsylvania in August. Theyre investigating the possibility that some students were planning to attack their schoolmates. 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. Nassau County Girl Scouts fundraise for victims of quake in Syria, Turkey at Masjid Hamza, Powered by Creative Circle Media Solutions. "He's victimized because I asked him to do a favor in this. Full speed," says McElroy. And don't you dare tell,'" says Kristina, who lobbied to get Carney thrown off the trip. 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. Kevin Minnick | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com | Dec 7, 2022. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Dominick Novello, Mepham battle through tough conditions to advance to According to the report, ''a lack of accountability appears to permeate the entire structure of the administration and running of this camp program.'' Hasnt hebeen through enough? 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. Student athletes are not getting the opportunity to play multiple sports during the year, because they are expected to spelize in one sport and focus on it year round, leaving no opportunity to play other sports or do other activities. Its the kind of bar where people stillsmoke and no one cares. We love our children. Children have strived for years to make their parents, teachers and coaches proud of them. What about the boys who were raped? Kids have come to practice Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday, and Friday to get better, while their academics are suffering. "He made that statement and from that day on, he's been, his family, harassed by letters and threats," says Carol. ''It's got to end here. The 15-year-old wide receiver became the first female football player in Long Island history to score a touchdown Saturday night, when. I'm grabbing all the medication out of my cabinet and looking for everything that I think he's gonna hurt himself. On 10/29, the Mepham varsity football team won their away conference game against Sewanhaka (Floral Park, NY) by a score of 27-12. The sentences are indeterminate, but will be reviewed every four months. We as coaches donot see this incident as hazing, he said,but as a criminal act., Coach Mac has an attorney, Joseph Rosenthal, who isshifting the blame right back to the parents.The coach is a very dedicated, sincereperson, the lawyer says. He was always in troubleat school, but not in football. It's, like, they're monsters," says Patty. Rick Scott Is Unfortunately Right About Novak Djokovic. On 10/22, the Mepham varsity football team won their home conference game against South Side (Rockville Centre, NY) by a score of 49-18. There were no screams like that.". 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. 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Now, McElroy and Junior Varsity Coach Art Cannestro exclusively tell their story to 48 Hours. What about, say, having your head flushed in a toilet? The abuse occurred day and night, and young players were attacked repeatedly and forced to sodomize each other, the report says. 28 - 13 W. 10/22/2022. They demanded that the boy be barred from camp but were rebuffed, they said. 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. Football is important to the high school experience and different familys history around the world. He taught us not to run away from ourproblems., How old were these kids, 16, 17? saysAndrew Longaro. And he told us that they were keeping them up. 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. School Board Votes to Dismiss 5 Mepham Football Coaches I said, You wantto lock me in a locker and laugh for an hour, fine.But Im not down with urine, dude., At the beginning of his junior year, Berger says, heshowed up to start the season. He had his little list. Theres no way youcant play me. Anotherparent, Jim Rullo, delivers a prepared statement onbehalf of the victims families. Bells toll. Students should not have to tryout for school sports. And one of the leaders selected joined with two other varsity players to sodomize these children. 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. Michelle Yeoh Promises No Swearing, Only Tears During Best Lead Performance Win. Wesley?Wesley was a nasty rat bastard! 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. "I assumed he was homesick, so I said, 'Stick it out. Over the next few days, the broomstick assaults were repeated. What Made Maddy Run by Kate Fagan shows just that. Into the locker! As well as rebuking the attackers, the report criticizes the school system and the Pennsylvania judge who handled the cases. Diasparra cut a deal and received probation. 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. Our community is being blamed. I notice when they're injured. Watch this highlight video of the Mepham (North Bellmore, NY) football team in its game Recap: Mepham vs. MacArthur 2022 on Nov 4, 2022. 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. That decision ''let down and insulted the victims and their families,'' the report says. At middle schools, high schools and colleges across the country, everyone is arguing over whether or not students with failing grades should be allowed to play sports. But even those who are, still have an astonishingly low chance at making the professional leagues. This incident could have been foreseeable by the coaches, and possibly the administration, if the coach reported anything to the principal and athletic director. "They had bags of ice and they were bashing it all over his body until the bags broke. 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. Bellmore Journal; Life Goes On but Is Altered After School Scandal, https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/20/nyregion/bellmore-journal-life-goes-on-but-is-altered-after-school-scandal.html. But then come the off-color jokes about broomsticks and pine cones from his friends. What LAppartement 4F Co-owner Ashley Coiffard Put on Her Wedding Registry. Mepham High School Football Case Study | ipl.org Anyplayer that wants to be on the football team can be onthe team. In that case, new players at. A day later, the threeboys were suspended, and a student. "Yeah," says Cannestro. 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. 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? Touring the world with friends one mile and pub at a time; ut austin undergraduate majors Newsletter . Long Island high school rocked by lurid football hazing scandal Trust me been there done that, the most regretted thing about school sports for many are tryouts. On a Friday morning in August, 60 kids were droppedoff for the bus ride to Pennsylvania. Thanks for contacting us. Nor did he suspendthe three alleged perpetrators, and as a result, theywere allowed to walk the hallways of Mepham High fornearly two weeks. He told him to find a friend and never bealone. Yeah, that shit gotfreakin blown up. at Garden City. 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. Hes well known as abully. After Dax Shepard asked her about her musical chairs relationship situation. Not like Wesley Berger, Vic says.Hes overexposed.. During his career, the prolific actor inhabited an array of troubled characters. West Jersey Football League all-stars: United Division, 2022. "All of a sudden, you get this child who's been broken. Since returning from camp, he has barely slept. Did I do anything to those kids?" Should a person get paid just for showing up for there a job and not actually doing anything? Not a lot of kids are good enough to play in the top college sports programs in the country. How a tragic boating crash is connected to the family of Alex Murdaugh maize high school basketball roster. . A few blocks from school, Allie Pagano and Sarah Mirenda, both 14, stop at the local pizza shop, Luigi's, on their way home. ''Our issue is our children are being blamed,'' said Paule Pachter, one of the parents in the group. NEW! 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. 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're checking it off. It stated that, at the camp,. says Cannestro. Ke Huy Quan Continues His Winning Streak at the Independent Spirit Awards. Mepham High School Football Scandal - Nymag - New York Magazine Broomsticks dipped in mineral ice, a kind of liquid heat, golf balls, pine cones and toothbrushes, were all pushed into the boy's rectums. A pack of teenagers congregates across the street from Mepham High School, smoking their cigarettes and clowning. At first, shock and disbelief prevailed. "He was after my son morning, noon, and night. I need to see a doctor,'" says Carol. 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But for the victims' families, the report came as a vindication, they said. I want to thank my assistant coach who is the baseball expert. We wanted them to be tried as adults, but we lost that battle. Which mayexplain why Coach Mac, in his only public statement,has concurred with Caramore. A minivan with two others whizzes by, music blaring. We're in education because we love kids.". 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! CNN. "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? 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. 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). ''We don't do it in front of them,'' the teenager said, referring to the victims. This was the 94th meeting between the two schools . This story has been shared 140,209 times. (516) 569-4000, To donate or for more information, click here, Chamber, mayors office are no match for the Thunderbolts. ''Despite these warnings and policies, the players all expected hazing to take place in one form or another at the camp,'' the report said. Brackets for the 2023 NJSIAA State Wrestling Championships in Atlantic