No charges have been filed in an alleged hazing incident which took place between members of Bel Air High School’s junior varsity football team earlier this month, while school system officials said the perpetrators have faced disciplinary action.
The incident came to light after the parent of a student not directly involved went public with details of the episode. Harford County Public Schools responded with a brief statement indicating that the matter was dealt with internally.
“The school was made aware of the hazing incident and an investigation was initiated immediately,” the statement said. “Following the investigation, the students involved were disciplined appropriately.”
Schools spokeswoman Teri Kranefeld declined to specify the disciplinary actions taken, citing the Maryland Public Information Act, which protects details of students’ disciplinary records. However, she reiterated that the actions taken were appropriate to the situation, detailed in the organization’s Administrative Regulations and Procedures for Interscholastic Athletics, which states:
Hazing is an activity that is forbidden in Harford County Public Schools and includes any action or creation of a situation, which recklessly or intentionally subjects a student to the risk of bodily harm, injury, or humiliation. Any athlete found to be involved in hazing activities may be subject to loss of eligibility to participate in extra-curricular activities.
Kranefeld said the students involved in the incident remain members of the football team.
While Kranefeld said the parents of the students involved were made aware of their right to press charges, no such charges have been filed at this time.
And why are these boys still playing football!! They not only should be banned from all extra curricular activities, they should be sent to the Hickey School and removed from the county! I hope that the parents do press charges, and maybe they can help prevent this kind os SICK bahavior in the future. It is quiet obvious that Harford County Schools doesn’t want to protect our kids…maybe the courts will!!
Yea…good luck with the courts.
If the parents choose to press charges and enough people back the family, with elections coming up, they will have no choice. This should be made a counrty wide issue. Needs to be brought to Fox News and made national! This hazing happened in North Harford a few years ago. The boy that was abuse, quit football completely and the some of the boys who participated are still playing on the varsity team now. Thats just wrong!! As parents and as a nation, this kind of abuse should not be tolerated and swept under the rug. Too many people just dont want to get involved.
I’m not saying I disagree with you, however I’m also very familiar with how the courts work and what they typically do (or don’t do.) It’s bad enough in district court, but in juve court they rarely do much beyond community service and maybe a fine or restitution especially on a first offense.
It’s not right, but unfortunately that’s way it frequently works out. Part of that is because the jails and youth facilities are overcrowded and that is not going to change any time soon.
Those bullies should be ‘disciplined” under the bullying section of the HCPS code of conduct. The offenders should spend the rest of the year at the Alternative Ed School in Aberdeen. They do not deserve to stay at BAHS! IF they were not the future of the BAHS Varsity football team, the situation would have been handled differently.
I agree, they shouldn’t be allowed to play football. No lesson to be learned there. Also, where are the parents of the boy who was involved? A parent that wasn’t “directly involved” had to report it? Thas crazy! Maybe the Board of Ed needs to rewrite their handbook, better yet re read it.
Quite obvious, you say?. I don’t think so. You probably also believe the job of police is to protect us. (The primary job of police is to investigate crime.)
What kind of parent Doesn’t press charges when their child is assaulted????? And they’re still on the team??? absolutely outrageous. If anyone ever lays a hand on my child I would be at the board of ed, the police, the school, EVERY DAY until the offenders were properly punished. Cant believe the parents of the victims weren’t on the Today show or GMA this morning , thats where I’d be.
What took place at Bel Air was WRONG, that I agree. What everyone seems to miss is that all parties in this incident are juveniles. Mr. Forrester wants to drag the victim out in the open and re-victimize them. That would be the parents of the children who would make that decision. Yes, it is High School, but they are still children and do make poor decision and choices. The school has handled the situation and the players were all interviewed. My son is a freshmen and he told his mother and I what took place that day. I do not condone what took place, but I understand how this issue was handled and why it was handled as such. I think Sgt Betz from the Sheriff’s Office, in the Aegis, explains why it was handled the way it was handled. The States Attorney is just giving the criminal law and showing he is tough on crime in a election year. Now Mr Forrester’s reason I don’t have a clue, since his son was not a party in the incident, could it be playing time?
I agree that these boys are teenagers, and will do stupid stuff, but they should at least be banned from the football team. I dont understand why school officials did not follow the rules and ban them. The kids who were hazed willl not forget this quickly, and the ones who did it must be punished. They broke the rules, and they should be punished.
You gotta love football. No really! YOU HAVE GOT TO LOVE FOOTBALL OR ELSE! From the pros who have a life expectancy of 50 to the fans where the glamorization of binge drinking seems to be the lesson of how to enjoy the game. A sport where a concussion is commonplace has no place in the education of a child. How many High School sports have emergency medical responders standing by with the truck and backboard ready? It should come as no surprise when hazing is tolerated year after year and strong atheletes that ate vital to the team are given special treatment. The amount of money that is poured into these programs and the enviorment which it creates is nothing less than child abuse and “we” can’t seem to get enough. GO TEAM. Let’s go hurt somebody!
Go Team? I have a problem with all team sports in high school. I just think there is too much time involved. My daughter was on the track team and for winer track their meets were in colleges in PA. They would return after midnight on school nights! That is an extreme example, and not many kids are involved in winter track. My daughter wouldn’t have been had I known that. But to play a high school sport they have practice everyday after school for a few hours and on Saturdays as well. I think that is too much time and takes away the opportunity for them to pursue other interests. She tried a few sports but had to quit because she is a serious dancer and there is no way to play a school sport and dance. Dance is not the same as dance team at all. Too bad she didn’t have the opportunity to try out different sports in high school. She is in her 3rd year at Towson University and teaches dance, preschool, and sells shoes. She has more time to pursue other interest in college than she did in high school. I think a lot of kids would benefit from a more reasonable practice schedule.
Go Team and Sandy, life is full of choices that we make on our own. There will always be those who don’t follow the rules and those choices face punishment of the individual and not the group. Just because one drinks and drives, we don’t take everyone’s privilege to drive away. Go Team, sports have a rich history in our culture by promoting community, spirit a pride. Sandy, I encourage my three children to be involved in sport, scout or any thing that keeps them active and thinking. Sports accomplish both and prepare them for the future in our competitive society. Schools afford our children many opportunities such as club, trips, plays, dances, and yes sports that only add to the educational experience for all that choice to take the opportunity to be involved. By the way there are some who complain that there is too much homework. But homework is practice and necessary for our children well being.
IF the events occurred as advertised by the parent NOT DIRECTLY involved and not a witness to the alleged incident , thus trying it in the newspapers and TV – 1) no one would come close to condoning it. Punishment was dished out as determined by the school system – the option is there for the affected to file charges, etc – what else do you want? sorry that the punishment doesn’t suit all. 2) shame on the gentleman for making it a public spectacle and putting juveniles (perpetrators and victims) in the public spotlight. In my book, as an adult, he has committed a major injustice – maybe an ulterior motive? – PT?
I’m sure your smug attitude would disappear if someone smashed their genitals in your face Mike. These kids think they can get away with anything and they are right.
The reality is that there are many incidents that qualify as criminal activity that occur on school property that should be investigated and prosecuted as such. The school system does not want them handled that way because of the bad publicity and the reporting requirements of law that could identity schools as dangerous, which opens the school system to an entirely new set of problems to deal with. If it was made absolutely clear to kids at the beginning of the school year that if they did anything that could be considered as a crime they would be prosecuted much if this stuff would not happen. Schools are supposed to be safe havens where learning takes place. If students and staff don’t feel safe learning is diminished or doesn’t happen. Those that can’t follow the rules should be kicked out or put in alternative programs.
this is a bunch of crap whip out your balls and put in someones face who does that
OK let’s shut down all the sports we can’t control the kids! (not) There is a lot that has been learned by all on this team and at the school and now that it was made public other schools have a leasson to use also. Sports are great teachers and our kids and society are richer for them. Having this behavior come out via a controlled environment (school system) is better than these bad guys taking it out on the kids in an alley with a weapon.
I thnk the principal at Bel Air is pretty good and I will go along with what punishment he and the coaches gave out. Just because they are still on the team does not mean they have not been punished. If some of you want to throw them overboard for the rest of their high school for what they did on the JV sports level them prepare to deal with them again in a few years in a more painful social situation. We don’t know the full facts so I trust the parents will make the fight call and file a complaint if that is the best course. But get off the shut down the high school sports lingo. You want real problems take away sports and band and other activities and just put them in their seats all day and see what you get.
I don’t even understand they are calling this hazing. To me it is a case of bullying. It was not done to everyone is was 2. I am willing to bet it was the shy boys. The boys are probably embarrased and don’t want there parents to say anything. I really wonder what is wrong with those young men to think it was ok to expose themselves in other boys faces. Maybe they don’t need the police they need a social worker. The school is not doing there job. What message are we sending to our children.
Bullying, Sexual harassment not hazing.
hazing is bullying, or a form of it. This meets the definition of hazing.
Of course this a bad thing and not right – but the circumsatnces and details we are not privy to deterine if its hazing or bullying or what ever definition.
Don’t put all of this on the school “school not doing their job” – I would think the parents of the bad guys should really be concerned and handing out a twice as tough as the school punishment, these kids get their boundaries from home. So time to tighten up parents. “social worker” for the kids – maybe some appointments are needed because they apparently aren’t getting guidance at home that their behavior would be unacceptable.
On the surface of this (with admittedly no facts) I do fault the coaching staff for apparently no locker room supervision if that is where this happened, that’s part of every coaching job. Another story for another time is of poor hygiene of kids not taking showers after gym class and sports. Then they would learn how to handle themselves around each other and gradually as they get older dignity sinks in. But the environment has to be managed (coaches).
Stating that the coaches not being in the locker room is part of the problem is a double edged sword. While you see it as the coaches not doing their job, another parent will see it as the coaches “watching” the children get dressed.
Coaches and gym teachers alike have to walk a fine line when it comes to supervising the behavior in a locker room.
First off I have a specific problem with football not all sports. As for the talk of heritage of our country the NFL only came into existence less than 100 years ago. Baseball is supposed to be the “American Passtime” and Lacrosse has it’s roots much much further back in American history. Justify your violent beating of children any way you want but to put a child back into a game that has a concussion is child abuse. The behavior seen in this particular incident is not isolated and in my opionion more homo-erotic than machismo unless of course your talking Village People “machismo”. I agree that there is a catch 22 for the coaches in the locker room. It seems all to simple that private stalls are a solution. Of course in a place where a young man can’t even have a door on a toilet stall I don’t see shower stalls being a consideration for someone’s dignity. Btw, it was sexual harassment not bullying.
Yes, I must agree that baseball is considered America’s Pastime and is roughly 150 years old. Lacrosse is a sport that goes back centuries and was played by Indian Warriors and played with in-slaved battle partners and play until their death. Today the death part is removed from the game, but the sport is still very violent. But the main point is that it’s a personal choice of the individual on what sport they wish to participate in at school. I agree that the coaches may have had too much trust in the players and supervision must be keep around juveniles. Go Team do you have children? Where you or they ever involved in after school activities? I for one played baseball, basketball, football and was involved in student government, Speech and Debate Club and Student Against drunk Driving. You place your slant (a short pass across the middle of the field in football) on the sport because you want to make the choice for others. My guess is you don’t eat red meat and you believe in a women right to choose the brutal end to life.
When the school/police determine what happened, those responsible should be removed from all extra curricular activities for the school year. Tough crap if those on the team may be hoping for an athletic scholarship. That’s the consequence you pay for poor decisions. Parents of those kids should take some time to remind their sons about being a leader and good sportsman, not just being Joe Jock.
If kids are removed from teams for “drinking alcoholic beverages” off campus during a weekend party, then removing kids from teams for hazing is a no brainer.
Love a good steak but try not to over indulge because I’m educated enough to know that I’ll live longer with less of it. I’m Catholic. I try to keep my children away from redneck bigots until later in life when they can hire them to come clean out their gutters or change their oil. Next time a child is laying on the ground hurt at a game and the entire crowd is silent waiting to see if he broke his neck why don’t you stand on your chair, hold your Budwiser high and scream YEAH FOOTBALL! Yeah, I can throw a few stereotypes your way too. What a great parent you must be.
WOW!!! What a hater!!! Maybe someone needs to check the statistics!! There is more serious injuries in Baseball, Soccor
and Basketball then ever in football!! I read an article recently about a girl who got 8 concussions from playing Basketball and was mentally challenged from it. We cant stop our kids from playing sports. Not only does it teach teamwork, loyality and competition but it is good for their health also to be getting the exercise! They could ride a bike, climb a tree or cross a street and get hurt. You cannot blame the sports for why this behavior happens. Maybe next time you go to church, you should ask your priest how this happens. Maybe you should keep your kids from church also!!!
“It is quiet obvious that Harford County Schools doesn’t want to protect our kids…maybe the courts will!!”
Isn’t that what you said to start off this list of bad ideas. It sounds like you are the hater. Back off and let the schools do their job.
Also it look like the exclaimation point key on your computer sticks.
go team? thats probably the dumbest thing said here (and theres alot of them here) what do you have against sports? huh becuase you sucked at them? or maybe becuase your kids are not good at them. Your a sorry human being that is WAY to overprotective, your the type of over protective parent that would sue becuase your kid didnt get a trophy for coming in last place and that discourages him/her. Your the reason why america is becoming less and less fun, what happened to America? YOU WANT TO TAKE AWAY SPORT? ARE YOU CRAZY, wow just you suggesting this makes you look like an idiot… football is a great sport if you like it or not, yes it is violent yes there are many injuries but it is very fun to play and watch (as long as no ones getting hurt) you see football and any sport in general teaches many good things, and almost no bad things. In my opinion sports are the best thing for a kid or any age. so what if there are injuries in sports OF COURSE THERE ARE people know that risk but do it anyway becuase its fun and you get alot out of it. and who cares if you will “live longer” COOOOL live a long boring life where you played no sports becuase you were a wussy and didnt want to get a bruise. I’d rather live shorter life where i had as much fun i could have had and played every sport i wanted to play. I played baseball, football, and wrestled. they were the best things about high school for me, YOU CANT TAKE THEM AWAY, and besides THERE NOT THE PROBLEM HERE AT ALL IN FACT THERE ARE NO PROBLEMS WITH HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS AT ALL or any sports. as a player of many sports its not child abuse at all and injury is part of it, you run that risk but its worth it. SPORTS INCREASE YOUR LIFE HAPPINESS, you get in shape, you get strong, its the best mental release you tottaly wrong im sorry if i got rude but your comments really got me mad, and no im not a football loving redneck who has a job as a plumer (not that theres anything wrong with that) i LOVE sports, went to college, got a 3.6 GPA so im not uneducated, with all the sports i played i only broke one bone the whole time and it was just a hairline fracture, im very healthy and fit. I mean if you want to say you get injured in sports well of course but you also can get hurt walking up stairs or driving or at work or basically anywhere anytime.
Really? You went to college and carried a 3.6? I never attended college, but even I can see that your rambling, disjointed diatribe is fraught with spelling and grammatical errors. And you’re correct; you did become rude in your commentary so I don’t mind drawing attention to your poor communication skills. I also wrestled until a knee injury sidelined me so while I believe sports in school are a fine thing they shouldn’t be allowed to interfere with academics (or that most rare thing these days, morality) which seems much more prevalent today than in my school days twenty-five plus years ago. The decision that these boys will be allowed to continue playing will insure they’ve learned nothing and convince them they have the right to play rather than the privilege. I guarantee that if they had done this to me in school they’d have had to grow eyes in the backs of their heads because payback would be swift and merciless. Sports have been allowed to consume far too much in the way of resources in the school budget. One case in point is the astroturfing of the high school fields… most recently in Havre de Grace. I have to wonder what greater good could have been done with all that money. I find it unfortunate that we have a culture that idolizes athletes who excel through a simple mix or accident of genetics.
Hey Vol Mom.
A 1994 study of 7,000 former players by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health found linemen had a 52 percent greater risk of dying from heart disease than the general population. While U.S. life expectancy is 77.6 years, recent studies suggest the average for NFL players is 55, 52 for linemen.
PROFESSIONAL football linebackers knucklehead. We’re talking rec or highschool.
So Vol Mom,
If the boys forcfully held down a GIRL, so that they could others could expose their genitals to her face would it be ok for them to travel the same halls for the rest of the school year. You seem to know all about the church. Maybe if it was you you would just turn the other cheek.
Hard to believe the State’s Attorneys Office is not pursuing this matter. Why? Because no victims have spoken up…BS! The parents of those kids who were victimized have complained. What is it going to take?
If this act was committed by a man to a woman or JV girl, they would jump on it. Voters, take a look at who is up for re election. We need a new face as our State Attorney and a County Police Department.
If my daughter had been attacked like this, I would have called the police. If my son had been attacked like this I would have called the police. What happened was sexual assault, not a highschool prank. That the Harford County school system thinks that sitting out a couple of games is adequate punishment is shameful. At a minimum the delinquents involved should be removed from extra curricular activities for the duration of their high school careers. For any of the parents commenting, who think that Mr. Forrester has no right to complain should consider that his son watched his peers assaulted. His son WAS a victim. What is really sad is that there aren’t more parents complaining.
I would like to hear from those who are running for the Board and how they feel about this. Evidently Principal Joe V. went before the “appointed” board and told them that he handled it and talked to boys, coaches and team. Wow, that should stop the bullying/hazing whatever you want to call it. Maybe the courts are the wrong place, but certainly the school has to have much harsher penalty–kicking them off the team and suspension and not a slap on the wrist may get others attention. But evidently, the Superintendent and Board were satisfied with the principal’s answer. Had it not been brought to the forefront HCPS would have been happy to have it slipped under the carpet.
Simply said, when you are soft on discipline it only gets worse. We have gone soft on too much. While I respect some kids make mistakes, there are those who have malicious intent that when carried out can and often does cause mental and physical harm. It must stop. Eligibility should not stop with grades.
I watched a parent at last night’s Bd of Ed meeting address this issue during public comment. The Board dodged the question by using their rule of not responding to public comment. They could have answered the question without disclosing the discipline administered to the involved students. So much for accountability.
So here’s the reality of all this. This is as much a failure on the part of the parents as it is the school system. The parents of the boys who did the hazing should take their kids off the team themselves. What kind of lesson are you teaching your children if you look the other way. You’re failing in your responsibility to your kids and to the community. As for the parents of the victims. I don’t understand why you would ever teach your child that it’s ok to be a victim. Teach them to stand up against this kind of nonsense. Don’t just let the world attack you and sit there quietly. As disappointed as I am in how the leadership at the high school has handled this it pales in comparison to how much the parents themselves have failed their kids and us as a community.
I agree, probably more of a failure by parents. Unfortunately, most parents protect(?) their kids and think they do no wrong. The school system protects(?) its reputation and turf. It happened at the school. Let the school take the first step and set the example if the parents will not. I know if I would have even thought of doing anything like this when I was a kid, I would have stopped knowing I would face the wrath of my parents. Some parents today, think it is more important to be in sports than to teach life lessons and respect of others. The sneakiness by the HCPS has a certain smell to it.
Yeah. How about the parents pulling the kids off the team and doing the punishing? There is more to this story than the HCPS personnel is allowed to tell by law. When I was growing up, I was more worried what my parents were going to do than the school or anyone else. Maybe that is what we have lost.
So we have come round robin in the commentary. Yes, its parents – of the perpetrators and of the victims who need to have acted this time and more so acting over the many years in the past. So renew your committment to teach your children well from this – boys and girls, talk to them about the “incident” at BAHS and ask them 3 questions in reverse order: 3) where they stand on this? and 2) what they would do now and 1) would have done if they had been there? So have a talk with them, it’s too bad it’s only about 20 of us having this chat via these comments. Good lesson for the AD and coaches at all schools to use in their introductory talks to the teams each season – “the BAHS incident” since we can’t seem to find a definition (hazing, bullying, assult, etc.)
Even with this event/incident I’ll still stand up for sports any day as good for our kids.
(As an aside: By the way to the Mom citing the NFL lineman statistic on concussions – let’s see, how many NFL linemen have come from Harford County schools? Our sports programs, particularly football are not major league, ask any college coach/scout.)
I agree and I for one fully support and encourage kids to get involved in high school athletics. The vast majority of the experience is a positive one. My son plays football and lacrosse. He’s been taught leadership, responsibility, discipline. confidence and sportsmanship by his coaches. Lets not let this one bad incident tarnish all school sports.
Joe et al;
I’m a dad that sees the dangers in football and agree with “Go Team?” I work in the sports industry and can assure you that football is linked to long term injury in players of all ages. The effort to white-wash these findings are tireless. I am a strong believer in the merit of sports in a child’s character and physical development but the level of protective equipment afforded non-professional teams is inadequate to protect them beyond their ability to permanently injure one another. Please take my input as nothing more than genuine concern for the well being of your child. Spend some time searching for articles that would help to give you an informed voice. Here is a recent article from the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/02/sports/football/02dementia.html
Here is the paragraph from that article that most immediately addresses your post:
“Despite increasing concern for heeding brain trauma at the high-school level — where sustaining a concussion before another has healed kills or seriously injures about 10 players a year — 58 percent of high schools still have no access to an athletic trainer, according to the National Athletic Trainers’ Association. Risks are essentially unknown among players, who now exceed 300 pounds while chasing college scholarships that are ever more valuable.”
Take Care.
Just some interesting statistic. Research bike riding and the number of accidents are higher then any sport!! Notice in all articles, no sport causes sick perverted or violent behavior such as what happened in this case.
According to the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System All Injury Program:
In 2001, the number of sport-related injuries for each sport are as follows:
Gymnastics — 99,722
Basketball — 680,307
Baseball — 170,902
Softball — 118,354
Football — 413,620
Soccer — 163,003
Volleyball — 55,860
Track & Field — 15,113
Hockey — 63,945
——————————————————————————–
According to the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research Twentieth Annual Report:
From 1982-2002, the total numbers of direct and indirect fatalities among high school athletes were:
Baseball — 17
Basketball — 88
Cheerleading — 21
Cross Country — 14
Football — 22
Soccer — 31
Track & Field — 47
Wrestling — 16
Any way you look at it or whichever sport you choose, sports are an excellent way to teach your children teamwork, competitiveness, hard work and dedication. All needed to be sucessful as an adult in the work force. As far as the behavior of these boys, they shouldn’t have the privlage to play for any team.
This safety crisis is evidenced by:
•There were 120 sports-related deaths in 2008-2009, in 33 states.
•Approximately 8,000 children are treated in emergency rooms each day for sports-related injuries.
•Among children, those aged 15-17 experience the highest emergency room visits for sports injuries.
•Rates of sports injury visits to ERs were highest in remote rural settings.
•50% of “second impact syndrome” incidents – brain injury caused from a premature return to activity after suffering initial injury (concussion) – result in death.
•The CDC reports that high school athletes suffer 2 million injuries, 500,000 doctor visits, and 30,000 hospitalizations each year.
•Female high school soccer athletes suffer almost 40% more concussions than males (29,000 annually).
•Female high school basketball players suffer 240% more concussions than males (13,000 annually).
•Concussion symptoms such as headache and disorientation may disappear in 15 minutes, but 75% of those tested 36 hours later still had problems with memory and cognition.
•400,000 brain injuries (concussions) occurred in high school athletics during the 2008-09 school year.
•There are 5 times as many catastrophic football injuries among high school athletes as college athletes.
•15.8% of football players who sustain a concussion severe enough to cause loss of consciousness return to play the same day.
•History of injury is often a risk factor for future injury, making prevention critical.
•62% of organized sports-related injuries occur during practices.
Based on your input we should stop all sports immediately. However, the number of injuries, sprained ankle. etc are not a reason to stop exercising. One problem we do have in Harford Cty as cited by “a friend” comments is that Harford Cty does not provide trainers. Booster clubs buy some time from some local physical therapy places but it is not an organized situation.
Have you ever gone to your childs school and asked to see the boys and girls training rooms? Please do its an eye opener. In NJ and PA there are athletic trainers, I believe they may even be required, on the staff of the schools.
Have you been to the Bd of Ed to advocate for trainers at least available every day of the week at practice? I did, but they sat there like teddy bears and sent me on my way after my 3 minutes. Where were you all?
Volunteer Mom:
Your numbers show Football and Basketball WELL ABOVE other sports injuries. If a football player sustains that many injuries with all the gear that is involved my point is that long term injury goes undetected and specifically, brain injuries often go un-reported. In a school system that is obsessed with liability it seems hypocritical to have a sport where an ambulance is required in site. That combined with the unbridled aggression that some of the parents have seem to be quite out of line with education and create an atmosphere of success at all coats. This incident is just one more example of how sports enjoys an unjustified exception to the rules. Take a look at how much the Head Coach at BAHS makes then take a look at how much the best teachers in the buildings make. Priorities are out of line. Go to a pee-wee league and look for the parent that is screaming at the volunteer coach or go to a HS game and see the mom screaming “take him out honey”. (I’ve been wittness to both of these more than once. If no one stands up here, if no one admits that brain injury is something that doesn’t come until later in life, if potential star students aren’t re-located to another school and exempted from situations that they have proven to be preditors in then we get what we get. I agree that we’re teaching our kids with team sports but I’m just not sure what the message is.
No sports that involve another person trying to stop them from doing your best.
Stick to individual sports like gymnastics, tennis, swimming and diving, track and field, … …
you get the idea.
War sports, where territory and defeat is the goal teach aggression over doing your best.
They keep score in tennis, track, swimming and gymnastics etc. by the way. They took trampoline out of gymnastics due to injuries to the neck and spine. Its all about proper protection and proper coaching. Coaching of fundamentals, like you don’t tackle with your head, is not a strong point of some high school coaching staffs.
Go Team, I am confused. Do you know how much the Head Coach makes? Do you know how many hours he spends in the summer and fall for football? Coaches in this county are teachers and then coaches. I cannot believe you comment about coaches salaries as though they are large. They are paid far below what they should make for the responsibility that they have.
Football might be dangerous and aggressive, but MANY MANY students play and DON’T sexually assault other players. If there needs to be a discussion about the safety of school sports programs by all means have it, but please don’t ignore a sexual assault by team mates being “punished” with a slap on the wrist and being swept away because you do or don’t like school sanctioned sports programs.
Right on. Too many apples and oranges looking for a soap box here. Good supervision by coaches in the locker room and on the field is necessary. Good supervision by parents at home every day is the recipe for success of any kid. Each can teach good fundamentals.
Some of you said why wan’t the states attorney going after these guys. So I found out. No charges filed and if they were filed and these guys had no other record of assualt or harrassment or what ever charge was filed they would have gone to juvenile court and either been let go or received probation before judgement. And as long as they served out the probation time as good boys that would be it. States Attorney Office does not mind your children.
I think they should get probation and counciling from the courts and suspension from extra curricular activities. I am not saying they need jail time but if not treated seriously, they will have a great chance of repeating the offense. Statistics show that in rape or murder cases, usually when they are caught, they find it was not the first time and usually have done it before. If these boys are commiting perverted sexual acts and harrassing boys now, what will they be in the future. Someone needs to at least try and show these boys that it is not ok and there are conseguences.
I know this is old news by now, but as someone who was there and witnessed the incident, this whole thing has gotten seriously blown out of proportion. The boys did hold some other boys down and “teabag” them, however no genitals were ever exposed, pants were always on. This is still terrible and of course requires discipline, but not the whole sex-offender registration and jail time that I’ve heard some people advocate. Also, I’d just like to add, things like this happen in every sport all of the time, and people would be shocked to learn what some of their kids have been doing to each other. I’d just like everyone to learn the true facts before passing judgement.
I agree with BAHS student. He is right.
I was in the locker room to.
BEL AIR HAZERS FOR LIFE!!!!!!!!
DAMN…knew i would be educated reading the Dagger, in my days, in the BAHS locker room, after playing lacrosse, and someone start that shit with me, i’d have qualified him for the ‘gelding plate’ and castrated him then and there.
fun is fun, draping nuts on the face, not fun!!
I believe, without any evidence, this type of thing also happened last year, and the year before that, and before that. And it will happen next year, and the year after. The hazing-type stuff is what happens in some sports environments, like it not. I don’t condone it. Never have, never will. But it happens. Get over it. If the coach should be fired, let’s get rid of his ass. If not, then live with it.
saw on another site that the BAHS principal is resigning? Does this have to do w/this incident or is it totally unrelated?
No he planned to for a while from what I understand