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. "He was robbed of his innocence. Or as David Woycik, who represents another victim,puts it: Theres bound to be a movie madeabout this., This is not what Isigned on for when I tried to do the rightthing, says Vic Reichstein. A player tried to flush his head in a urinal. You may notstart, but youll be on the team.. For me, this challenge helped me develop as a person than will work harder and strive for the best in my academics. 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. I ask. Full speed," says McElroy. Legendary football coach Joe Paterno was one of those who was fired, which shook up the coaching staff. #inline-recirc-item--id-a617c056-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d ~ .item:nth-child(5) { The crime scene evidence that convicted Alex Murdaugh As we mentioned earlier, the freshmans mother mentioned to coach McElroy the fact that the upperclassman was calling her son those insulting names. The Bellmore-Merrick school boards decision not to rehire the coaches next year has taken a stake and driven it right through the heart of the community again, said head coach Kevin McElroy. Nor did he suspendthe three alleged perpetrators, and as a result, theywere allowed to walk the hallways of Mepham High fornearly two weeks. I need to know for medical.' The guy grabbed me in front of the wholeteam, Berger says. }, First published on April 12, 2004 / 5:10 PM. Doyou know who I am?, The freshman, trying to show a little backbone,replied: This is America. On a Friday morning in August, 60 kids were droppedoff for the bus ride to Pennsylvania. Parents are paying up on school meals again. Not, 'Coach, things aren't good over here.' How could we have known?". For Carol's son, it doesn't end. The question has whirled aroundBellmore for weeks: Who would raise a child who woulddo this to another child? The parishioners sing Make Me aChannel of Your Peace. And then the younglineman, who charged onto the varsity squad hissophomore year at W.C. Mepham High SchoolHomeof the Piratesis in tears. Werent theyalready on the right track? Hes the man of the family now. This is a sore pointfor Mary. He strokes his sisters hair withone hand and slides an arm around his brothersshoulders. And McElroy neverprevented him from playing on the varsity team. 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. All the negative attention has galvanized them, they said. When Patty and Jimmy's son came home, he told them he had been sodomized, too. 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. asks McElroy. Most are no longer talking about the issue publicly, tired of the maelstrom of feelings that is stirred each time. All that has led these parents to ask the same kind of questions asked after the shootings at Columbine: How much did the school know about their student assailants, and who should be held responsible? "The kid who just made the tackle," says Cannestro, identifying one of the players on the tape. (516) 569-4000, To donate or for more information, click here, Chamber, mayors office are no match for the Thunderbolts. ", Patty says her son also hasn't recovered from the ordeal: "About a month ago, I had gotten a call from a neighbor. 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. When several parents received threatening letters after speaking out about the incident, emotions ratcheted higher. Theres a no-cut policy. He was riding the bus along with varsity members, who held him upside down. "The question should not be the coaches should have known. We're checking it off. These towns lost seventeenpeople in the World Trade Center attacks.Theyre places whose kids go to college locallyand then settle here and raise families. At least one group of parents has decided they will continue to speak out. Waiting outside in front of the hearseis a police escort, to ward off the media. "Something happened in between those practices every single time, to my son. "I don't want everything he's gone through to be just a waste. By the end of three exciting days in Atlantic City, 14 champions will emerge at the NJSIAA/Rothman Orthopaedics State . Says one Mepham parent, Werealways in competition with the upper class., The kids on Kennedys football team know theMepham team, and theyre a little afraid of someof them. In the bunks, 17-year-old players were assigned to watch over 13-year-old boys. Your sonwoo hoo!Hes having fun. David Woycik, a lawyer for the victims, said, My clients were relieved that [Sofia and Carney] will be out of the community and off the streets and they are pleased the judicial system worked to a certain extent.. So it just goes on and on. The parents are organizing to demand that the school administration be held accountable for allowing the incident to occur, they said. More than 60 players attended the camp, including the boy's best friend Patty and Jimmy's son who was also just 13. According to her, Didden said he wouldinvestigate the incident. What's more, the 16-year-old ringleader of the assaults had his own history of disciplinary problems. 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. Theres no way youcant play me. Involuntary deviate sexualintercourse. 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. But critics say their mistakes started early. In the case of my four month concussion, there are residual mental and physical problems. Are you on crack? Long Beach. Students ''don't know who to blame,'' said Allie. Nassau County Girl Scouts fundraise for victims of quake in Syria, Turkey at Masjid Hamza, Powered by Creative Circle Media Solutions. During his career, the prolific actor inhabited an array of troubled characters. "They have to be lying.". Most of themare yelling. This email will be used to sign into all New York sites. However, some would argue to say high school football is too dangerous to keep around. The emotional impact on him is unbelievable," adds Carol. Duct tape was yanked from the victims' bottoms and pubic areas, and two of the victims were forced to smear Mineral Ice on their testicles, and then kick each other there, the report says. . He never brought this incident toMcElroys attention; he must have brought it tothe JV coachs attention. 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. 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. I cried," says Carol, who asked her friend, Jim Rullo, to make a speech on her behalf. The coaches are suing to get their jobs back. He taught us not to run away from ourproblems., How old were these kids, 16, 17? saysAndrew Longaro. They demanded that the boy be barred from camp but were rebuffed, they said. Not a wink. We got all new things to bring to pack. 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. He gave his son a cellphone. OK? Now even they, however, have grown weary, wishing for a return to their old life. What LAppartement 4F Co-owner Ashley Coiffard Put on Her Wedding Registry. When the school board canceled the football season and suspended the coaches, the community actually split -- between those who supported the victims' families, and those who wanted to save the coaches and the season. On a warm night in October,Mary Williams and her boyfriend, Andy Corcoran, bothMepham class of 1980, sit having a drink. The third player in the Mepham HS hazing scandal was sentenced to probation after he made a deal with prosecutors and provided information. Once in high school, senior athletes have scouts that come out to see them play. He called the school boards decision 100 percent unjust.. By Michael Luo. Go to the back of theline.. He had his little list. 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. And he was very excited," recalls Patty. Because if these attacks are acceptedas hazing, then the school is responsible. "He's victimized because I asked him to do a favor in this. 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. Mepham High School (North Bellmore, NY) Varsity Football Varsity Boys Football North Bellmore, NY FOLLOW TEAM 22-23 V. Football Home Schedule Roster Standings Rankings Photos Videos News More / Mepham High School Football Mepham Football OVERALL 10-2 0.83 Win % LEAGUE 8-1 2nd in League HOME6-0 AWAY3-1 NEUTRAL1-1 PF334 PA169 STREAK1L 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved. It has been 11 years since three football players, ages 15 to 17, from Mepham High School in Bellmore, New York, were criminally charged with sodomizing teammates during a preseason. After Dax Shepard asked her about her musical chairs relationship situation. And I can't ever get that back from him," says Patty. If you do something wrong, youd better go home and pack your toothbrush because youll pay the consequences, he told the teen. Soon after the first revelations of the attacks, the Reichsteins reached out to newspapers and television stations with their story. 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. What's more, before camp, parents Victor and Kristina Reichstein say Carney threatened their 13-year-old son. In my opinion, a good education is so very important for our countrys youth, especially the athletes. He quotes oneof the boys as saying, I will never trustanyone again. I want to bepart of the team.. McElroy hadnothing to do with this kid, Joe Rosenthalsays. Mary explodes. Thursday, November 6, 2003 Posted: 1537 GMT (11:37 PM HKT) Story Tools. 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 10/08/2022. All rights reserved. Was there anything that indicated they were injured or traumatized? 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. West Jersey Football League all-stars: United Division, 2022. says McElroy. "My son came forward, did something that he did not want to do. 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. She shouts out all the ladies (mothers and wives) in the room. They had complained to the coach and the principal before football camp that their son, a freshman, had been bullied and threatened by one of the boys who was later charged in the attacks. . 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. 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. 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. They were later suspended from classes on September 18. "He came to me and said, 'I'm bleeding. Also it brings down students self esteem. My sonthinks its just a bad thing that went too far,too fast., Andy mentions what some people are sayingthatwhat happened at camp was part of a pattern of hazingat Mepham. What went wrong? That boy was not hurt at camp, but other kids were. Did I do anything to those kids?" Go ahead. The answer to all those questions is no.". (Almost as prevalent is the idea, notconfirmed by police, that the linemans fathercommitted suicide. Considering the college scholarships that can be provided, the countless generations of players in certain families, and the homecoming activities would be pointless without it. I don't have psychic skills. Sofia was sent to a boot camp, and Carney was sent to a juvenile detention center. It was horrible. A few blocks from school, Allie Pagano and Sarah Mirenda, both 14, stop at the local pizza shop, Luigi's, on their way home. No," says McElroy. Who doyou think you are? said the lineman, accordingto Reichsteins son. Terms of Service apply. !Effin this, effinthatyoure not coming on my team,youre done, youre done, youredone! And I started screaming at him.. Everybody knew I got hazed in the lockerroom, he says. We love kids. When athletes experience head trauma, they only recover a little, which might end their career early or other times people never recover. For a select number of fortunate athletes, that dream becomes a reality when they commit to a school and sign their letter of intent. And who you can expect to see performing and presenting. } So, no., But, you know, says McDermott, ifthey wanted to do it? Hasnt hebeen through enough? The owner of the store posted a sign in his window earlier this month: ''We are Bellmore. At 1:21 p.m. last Friday, the Mepham High School football and cheerleading squads should have rushed onto Mepham's field for a My sons not. But the school board was unswayed by the coaches defenders. Reichsteins wife,Kristina, then begged Didden to make an example of thelineman. "Yeah," says Cannestro. At Mepham High School on Long Island, the entire football season was canceled after players admitted to sadistically hazing fellow teammates. They hit his headon the porcelain and he got a concussion. But I justgot off the phone with the mother of one of thevictims, and she told me that were her bestadvocate. He said no," recalls Carol. During the first day of camp, the hazing was minor, such as one player smearing gel and powder into another's hair. On October 6, heannounced that that was his intention. 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. I need to see a doctor,'" says Carol. The way they walked? Since the scandal began, parents of students have squabbled among themselves and with members of the school administration over everything from the decision to cancel the football season to whether the school district could have prevented the incident. But others angrily argue that not enough attention is being paid to the victims' ordeals. But even those who are, still have an astonishingly low chance at making the professional leagues. This wasn't just something that happened when the lights went out.". His dadsaved his friends life that day. Just because someone shows up and participates, doesnt not mean they deserve the same treatment as everyone else. The group, which calls itself Mepham Parents 4 Change, consists of eight families, but says it is quickly gathering support. Including intelligent heated gloves, soothing foot rollers, and classic cabbage-shaped servingware. 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. It devastated us. He knows the mainkid, she says. Privacy Policy and Now, McElroy and Junior Varsity Coach Art Cannestro exclusively tell their story to 48 Hours. Theyre investigating the possibility that some students were planning to attack their schoolmates. Life goes on in Bellmore, despite the sex-abuse scandal involving members of the high school football team that has roiled this Long Island community. 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. This story has been shared 140,209 times. "He missed the whole first, basically, semester. 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. Andbecause we were the group with Amos, our team isetched in his memory.. According to the report, ''a lack of accountability appears to permeate the entire structure of the administration and running of this camp program.'' Football is important to the high school experience and different familys history around the world. That, thelineman says, is the kind of man his father was. "We have a clip of the JV football scrimmage," says McElroy, who believes it proves that there was nothing obviously wrong. No! He never judged us, saysDave Lohman, class of 94. Hes dangerous, hes terrifying, hes an extra in, How to Watch the 2023 Oscars Celebrate All 23 Categories Live Again. It stated that, at the camp,. 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. 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. Its the kind of bar where people stillsmoke and no one cares. In 1994, Wesley Bergerwas a Mepham freshman, a football player with a shelfof trophiesMVP for the peewee league,fastest-runner and best-tackler awards. 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. It involved a fight amongteenage boys. Password must be at least 8 characters and contain: As part of your account, youll receive occasional updates and offers from New York, which you can opt out of anytime. The football players were unfairly penalized by the sanctions that were placed on the team. Kids have come to practice Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday, and Friday to get better, while their academics are suffering. 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. You\'ll receive the next newsletter in your inbox. The three attackers were charged with involuntary deviate sexual intercourse after they sodomized the younger players with pine cones, golf balls and a broomstick in August at a football camp in Preston Park, Pa. Whos going to give him thatmoney now? Those kids are running at full speed. Parents are paying up on school meals again. The team did it along with some guidance from my assistant coach and the parents. Why wasn't there a coach sleeping in the cabins? Did either coach notice anything on these children's faces? When members of a high-school football team on Long Island were accused of sexual attacks, the community was appalled . Bellmore Journal; Life Goes On but Is Altered After School Scandal. Students moved from one cabin to another without the coaches' knowing, the report says. "They had bags of ice and they were bashing it all over his body until the bags broke. 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. Here's why food advocates are worried they cant afford it. Ken Carney, 16, the ringleader of the attacks, was well-known by school administrators as a disciplinary problem. Children have strived for years to make their parents, teachers and coaches proud of them. Four days ago, hisfather died in his sleep. 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. 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. Ke Huy Quan Continues His Winning Streak at the Independent Spirit Awards. It would be the adventure of his life five days of intense football in the woods of Pennsylvania. They could be home as early as next month. We love our community. no.". Amos scored 29 touchdowns in hisjunior year and broke all of Long Islandsrushing records. This is hard tosayI know he was a good coach and a lot of kidsliked him. But other voices emerge at the meeting, corroboratingthe victims contention that hazing is a fact oflife at Mepham. 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. Murdaugh defense team plans to appeal conviction Both coaches still don't understand why they're being blamed for what happened last summer at Mepham High School's football camp. The superintendent, while admonishing the team for notcooperating with the investigation, has also putforward a tidy defense of McElroy and the principal,Didden. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, 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. "He's one of the victims.". Of course not. "He said to him, 'Don't even think of sleeping at football camp. According to the report, two of the attackers held down one of the freshmen while the third sodomized the freshman with a broomstick coated with Mineral Ice, a pain-relieving ointment. Decent football player, though.. I was by far the besthalfback on the team, Berger says, now 23 butstill angry. I said, 'What's the matter?' Here's why food advocates are worried they cant afford it. Other players laughed, the report said. Yeah, that shit gotfreakin blown up. ''People just want to move on,'' said one teenager, sucking on his cigarette. Bells toll. And his youth. Then it became a football school. But it really happened., McElroys lawyer vehemently denies almost everyaspect of Bergers story. Theyre big football players who look andact like football players, says Jesse.Big and aggressive., The lineman was yelled at a lot,remembers another boy. He triedseriously to treat him as a regular kid, like nothingever happened. 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. On the second day, the incidents became brutal. Due to the poormoral character of your children, Kristina saysCaramore told the parents, this investigationis not moving forward. She stood up and askedDidden twice if any child had been threatened beforethe camp incidents. 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. Our community is being blamed. That was until Berger started practicethe August before his freshman year. 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. They speak ofbroomsticks, pinecones, and golf balls. Students attend a pep rally at Mepham High School in Bellmore, N.Y. Sofia was sentenced to the boot camp and Carney to the detention center both in Pennsylvania. Hisfriend was a captain on the team, he maybe was gonnaget a scholarship. But rather, in my opinion, how could the coaches have known?" With FamousAmos on the squad, the team made the county playoffsall four years. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google It looks like a tasty treat for any high school football fan. ''Despite these warnings and policies, the players all expected hazing to take place in one form or another at the camp,'' the report said. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. There were no screams like that.". "Everybody says we should just know. Everything Everywhere All at Once has won in every category they were nominated for. 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. He was benched for two years as the lawsuit creptthrough the legal system. 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. The coaches also showed 48 Hours a tape never before made public - one they say was recorded on the last day of camp. Berger says his friends persuaded him to stay off theteam. The coaches would have to be everywhere at thesame time, says Dave Hill. Jonathan Anderson gets one of the first qualities of great fashion that it has to feel a bit strange. Students should not have to tryout for school sports. 10 /r/oldmenvssluts2, 2023-02-07, 11:04:47 California makes flag football a girls' high school sport 56 /r/california , 2023-02-05, 17:36:57 . Tryouts are the worst thing about sports, they bring nothing but more stress to your plate. When trying to become a professional athlete, one must start playing sports as early as possible (Ferguson 34).Playing sports comes with many sacrifices. Mineral ice and especially that he now had, from the first time, a cut," says Carol. There's coaches. , 2023-02-08, 18:25:23 How long has it been since you've licked a high school girls pussy daddy? What I know about the Berger incident isit did not involve hazing. "I had a personal conversation with one of the victims daily, and not once did he indicate to me that anything was wrong," says Cannestro. One afternoon after practice, they air theirtheories, the chief one being that the lineman musthave been traumatized as a kid. PARLIN, N.J. - The investigation at a New Jersey prep football powerhouse that has led to sex crime charges against seven teens prompted an almost unheard-of . 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.

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