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''There's no question that they knew hazing had gone on for years, and they allowed it to go on,'' said Robert Kelly, a lawyer for two of the victims. In the case of my four month concussion, there are residual mental and physical problems. When parents came to an emergency meeting on September16 with the principal and superintendent, they heardnot mea culpas but accusations. The grand jury has been investigating the attacks for months to determine whether the coaches should be indicted and what led to the assaults. Hasan Minhaj Brings His Powerpoints and Power Suits to Independent Spirit Awards. Those kids are running at full speed. Its the kind of bar where people stillsmoke and no one cares. But other voices emerge at the meeting, corroboratingthe victims contention that hazing is a fact oflife at Mepham. For many years, people have been debating about whether sports teams for kids should have selective tryouts. "We're not suggesting anything about injuries. A pack of teenagers congregates across the street from Mepham High School, smoking their cigarettes and clowning. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. , 2023-02-08, 18:25:23 How long has it been since you've licked a high school girls pussy daddy? Coach Mac talked to my mom, convinced us tostay. Mepham High School Football Coach Anthony Cracco's Sex Scandal Has Bellmore . Over the next few days, the broomstick assaults were repeated. How a tragic boating crash is connected to the family of Alex Murdaugh A day later, the three alleged victims are stillhaving broomsticks thrown at them from cars in theparking lot. No one understands this better thanMark Alter, the lawyer for the alleged ringleader.The fact that its egregious allegationsdoes not necessarily mean its not a juvenilecase, says Alter. Youve got some Janning to do! These towns lost seventeenpeople in the World Trade Center attacks.Theyre places whose kids go to college locallyand then settle here and raise families. "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. Here's why food advocates are worried they cant afford it. He said, 'Well, your son was just online and saying he can't take it anymore. "We went out. We love our community. But even those who are, still have an astonishingly low chance at making the professional leagues. 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. Reichstein called Didden, whose reply, according toReichstein, was that there was no hazing at Mepham,because if there were, wed cancelfootball season. (Didden and his attorney didnot return repeated calls.) Was there anything that indicated they were injured or traumatized? !Effin this, effinthatyoure not coming on my team,youre done, youre done, youredone! And I started screaming at him.. You could just seehe had so much anger in him. "Not once. Most students, the girls say, have not gotten caught up in the anger and recrimination that have divided their parents. 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. 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. On the second day, the incidents became brutal. He never brought this incident toMcElroys attention; he must have brought it tothe JV coachs attention. 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. Four members of the faculty were either fired or forced out because of the scandal. It involved a fight amongteenage boys. Full speed," says McElroy. Were happy as can be, said Carol, an aunt of one of the victims. 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. In the end, they will be left unprepared for life. Dozens of Long Island parents outraged at the handling of broomstick hazing assaults at a Mepham High School football camp are organizing a secret meeting tomorrow to plan action against. But the happy boys these parents sent to camp last summer didn't return that way. He said his surgery was a success, but he needs time to heal before he can tour again. Instead, they were treated as juveniles. Those individuals who just made the team now deal with a problem that happens mainly from the. Oh, Loosey! These parents are now lobbying for a national hazing law, one with severe penalties. Mary is athird-generation Bellmoron. Her boy,Kyle, played varsity. } no.". And he told us that they were keeping them up. Once each school year, older Mepham students would beat up younger ones on school grounds in a ritual called ''Freshman Friday,'' the grand jury found. High school coaches should not be required to give equal playing time to all players who make the team. Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix have broken up after he allegedly cheated on her with Raquel Leviss. Conway could have sentenced the three including Phil Sofia, 17, and Ken Carney, 16 to juvenile jail until they turned 21 or he could have given them probation. We were afraid they would walk away with probation.. They speak ofbroomsticks, pinecones, and golf balls. West Jersey Football League all-stars: United Division, 2022. Hes well known as abully. Reichstein triedto stare the lineman down. On a Friday morning in August, 60 kids were droppedoff for the bus ride to Pennsylvania. They reallycouldnt do anything about it. When the allegations surfaced in early September, the three accused teenagers were suspended from Mepham High School's football team. The boy, wearing a regulation backward baseball cap,is standing at the schools west entrance. These individuals hope to be part of something special, whether its achieving individual goals or team goals. 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 "The question should not be the coaches should have known. ''Our parents are being blamed. 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. By Michael Luo. "The bottom line is, if we did anything wrong, we wouldn't be sitting here talking to you," says Cannestro. All rights reserved. And McElroy neverprevented him from playing on the varsity team. According to the report, ''a lack of accountability appears to permeate the entire structure of the administration and running of this camp program.'' 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 think the kids covered it up to saveCoach Mac and save their season., Tending bar at Docs is Rob McDermott, class of95. Bellmore Journal; Life Goes On but Is Altered After School Scandal. Berger sayshe got up and called his dad, who went straight to thecoaches. He called the school boards decision 100 percent unjust.. 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. Moreover, they must spend money on equipment, clothing, and food (37). 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. His dadsaved his friends life that day. "We're not animals. 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. 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. 49 - 18 W. Kristina and Vic Reichstein stand upand say their son, a freshman, was threatened by thelineman during practice in July and August. MaxPreps is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. 2022 Fall Boys Football New York: Long Island Division II. ", Are they lying? In that case, new players at. As well as rebuking the attackers, the report criticizes the school system and the Pennsylvania judge who handled the cases. On October 6, heannounced that that was his intention. 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. Mepham was known mainlyfor its wrestling program until Coach Mac arrived in1986. "He made that statement and from that day on, he's been, his family, harassed by letters and threats," says Carol. School administrators, however, let him get on the bus anyway. }, First published on April 12, 2004 / 5:10 PM. We're checking it off. 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. Thanks for contacting us. 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. 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. Thats when Berger says Coach Mac lunged athimhis hand reaching the boys throat. 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. One afternoon after practice, they air theirtheories, the chief one being that the lineman musthave been traumatized as a kid. 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. The coaches would have to be everywhere at thesame time, says Dave Hill. This story has been shared 140,209 times. Michelle Yeoh Promises No Swearing, Only Tears During Best Lead Performance Win. NEW! When people talked aboutMepham, they talked about Famous Amos. Because the National Football League sits on a higher platform, they bring in an exceptional amount of money compared to that, However, whenever hazing involves assaulting the victim, then it goes to another level. They also understand they will need to sacrifice time, energy, and their social life in order to achieve these goals. For me, this challenge helped me develop as a person than will work harder and strive for the best in my academics. The district's superintendent, Dr. Thomas Caramore, defended the decision in a letter to the community earlier this month, saying the principal spoke with the boy and the coach before camp, and there was no way of anticipating the attacks. 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. "They couldn't be further from the truth," says Cannestro. 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. He was just frightened," says his father, Vinny. ''We don't do it in front of them,'' the teenager said, referring to the victims. Not a wink. "He missed the whole first, basically, semester. On 10/29, the Mepham varsity football team won their away conference game against Sewanhaka (Floral Park, NY) by a score of 27-12. 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. The coaches are suing to get their jobs back. "Yeah," says Cannestro. 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. Tell me why I should just know? On September 17, the Bellmore-Merrick Central HighSchool District Board of Education canceledMepham's football season. 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 . What about the boys who were raped? Did you know that depending on the sport, students who play sports in college most likely have less than a 2% chance of becoming professional athletes? Now even they, however, have grown weary, wishing for a return to their old life. He was dyingto play for the Pirateshed gotten AmosZereoues autograph when Zereoue visited hisjunior high. All the negative attention has galvanized them, they said. (Almost as prevalent is the idea, notconfirmed by police, that the linemans fathercommitted suicide. All the while, older players watched and laughed. There's coaches. During his career, the prolific actor inhabited an array of troubled characters. Not like Wesley Berger, Vic says.Hes overexposed.. Mary explodes. Most high school athletes across America share one common aspiration: play their sport at the next level in college. But he wonders whether whathappened at camp could have been prevented if hehadnt settled his lawsuit. 1999, McAlester High School, Oklahoma: A football player suffered a head injury after he was jumped by older teammates in a locker-room hazing. Once rated one of the best academic high schools in the nation, Mepham High is now mired in scandal. Due to the amount of padding they have to wear, football players can easily disguise their size therefore keeping them from receiving scrutiny from the public. Watch this highlight video of the Mepham (North Bellmore, NY) football team in its game Recap: Mepham vs. MacArthur 2022 on Nov 4, 2022. As we mentioned earlier, the freshmans mother mentioned to coach McElroy the fact that the upperclassman was calling her son those insulting names. The coach wentalong with canceling the season because he knew kidswere not coming forward. 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. There were no screams like that.". Bells toll. "I assumed he was homesick, so I said, 'Stick it out. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. Mysons season has been completely fucked up! Sofia was sent to a boot camp, and Carney was sent to a juvenile detention center. We love our children. The coaches let him go, the report says, ''because he was a good football player. We wanted them to be tried as adults, but we lost that battle. That hasnt satisfied parents whocomplain about the lost scholarships, the deflatedhomecoming celebration, and the fund-raisers for othersports, all of which depend on football and are nowruined, theyre saying, because of a couple ofmessed-up kids. #inline-recirc-item--id-a617c056-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d ~ .item:nth-child(5) { Three days after camp ended, Carol and Vinny's son asked for help. Long Beach. At least one group of parents has decided they will continue to speak out. Anotherparent, Jim Rullo, delivers a prepared statement onbehalf of the victims families. "He's victimized because I asked him to do a favor in this. He suggests that broomsticks,golf balls, and pinecones are consistent withtraditional forms of hazing. Mepham High School football hazing case tore Long Island apart in 2003. Privacy Policy and The lineman was furious. Also, sleep-away sports camps will no longer be authorized by the school district, Billig said. If you do something wrong, youd better go home and pack your toothbrush because youll pay the consequences, he told the teen. Weve been 0 and 8 since 1999!says James. 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. Theres a no-cut policy. However, it seems too important to let go. Offscreen, he was one himself. But I justgot off the phone with the mother of one of thevictims, and she told me that were her bestadvocate. . Just because someone shows up and participates, doesnt not mean they deserve the same treatment as everyone else. A player tried to flush his head in a urinal. Most of themare yelling. Terms of Service apply. The answer to all those questions is no.". The conversation easily shifts to a defenseof Coach Mac. 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. Thanks for contacting us. Criminal coercion. "He's one of the victims.". 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! 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. Thepurported ringleader, according to police, was thelineman. Hes the man of the family now. 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.. But the victims told their parents they were screaming at the top of their lungs. says Cannestro. 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 went to camp but didntstay in the fated cabin. Whos going to give him thatmoney now? And who you can expect to see performing and presenting. says McElroy. Now, McElroy and Junior Varsity Coach Art Cannestro exclusively tell their story to 48 Hours. Berger produced the requiredslip of paper. 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.. No. How could we have known?". at Garden City. We care about kids. When Patty and Jimmy's son came home, he told them he had been sodomized, too. And don't you dare tell,'" says Kristina, who lobbied to get Carney thrown off the trip. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Tryouts are the worst thing about sports, they bring nothing but more stress to your plate. Anyplayer that wants to be on the football team can be onthe team. display: none; But the grand jury did not find the coaches criminally negligent. ''People just want to move on,'' said one teenager, sucking on his cigarette. The report criticized the Wayne County judge, Robert Conway, for his decision not to move the attackers' cases from juvenile to adult court. 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. Know what is expected andacceptable. Be responsible. ''It's got to end here. "There's nothing anyone else could have done differently," adds Cannestro. Does heknow this for sure? Youre old enough to knowwhat youre doing., I had some friends who were older, saysMcDermott. At least 12 dead after winter storm slams South, Midwest, The Saturday Six: Dental device controversy, scientist's bug find and more, Trump speaks at CPAC after winning straw poll, 3 children killed, 2 others wounded at Texas home, Man charged for alleged involvement in 2 transformer explosions, Nikki Haley slams potential GOP contenders, and Trump and George W. Bush, Duo of 81-year-old women plan to see the world in 80 days, Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant to "take some time away" from the team after allegedly brandishing a gun in a club, Alex Murdaugh trial: What to know about the double murder case, The crime scene evidence that convicted Alex Murdaugh, How a tragic boating crash is connected to the family of Alex Murdaugh, Murdaugh defense team plans to appeal conviction, Husband of woman murdered with an ax convicted 40 years after her death. And you know, I'm panicking.". Since returning from camp, he has barely slept. Trending News Keep yourmouth shut, the letters read, andnothing will happen to you or your family.. And would you let it happen a second and third time? 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). They were carried outover several nights, with several victims, one of whomrequired surgery for his injuries. . Waiting outside in front of the hearseis a police escort, to ward off the media. You\'ll receive the next newsletter in your inbox. We're in education because we love kids.". I need to know for medical.' Hasnt hebeen through enough? ), I knew all those kids, saysanother boy, a JV player. It is understandable that everyone can not make the team but it is a terrible thing to cut children by telling them they did not have enough room on the team or are not ready to be on it. Mepham High School Football Tragedy 1056 Words | 5 Pages. So, no., But, you know, says McDermott, ifthey wanted to do it? She says Didden said no twice.Thats when Vic stood up and called Didden aliar. } After all, theywerent just studentsthey wereathletes.. Then it became a football school. He had his little list. If three victims getanything close to that much each, it would devastatethe school districts budget. Trust me been there done that, the most regretted thing about school sports for many are tryouts. The guy grabbed me in front of the wholeteam, Berger says. "What constitutes a scream?" He gave his son a cellphone. Anyone can read what you share. I heard the kidliked it.. Amos scored 29 touchdowns in hisjunior year and broke all of Long Islandsrushing records. The abuse occurred day and night, and young players were attacked repeatedly and forced to sodomize each other, the report says. What we're saying is, I notice when somebody's limping. At last nights meeting, one player called the coaches caring role models, and team captain Dan Cosenza hugged McElroy. The sentences are indeterminate, but will be reviewed every four months. Not, 'Coach, things aren't good over here.' When athletes experience head trauma, they only recover a little, which might end their career early or other times people never recover. What about, say, having your head flushed in a toilet? He quotes oneof the boys as saying, I will never trustanyone again. Now the . What LAppartement 4F Co-owner Ashley Coiffard Put on Her Wedding Registry. Sofia was sentenced to the boot camp and Carney to the detention center both in Pennsylvania. 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). That decision ''let down and insulted the victims and their families,'' the report says. The question has whirled aroundBellmore for weeks: Who would raise a child who woulddo this to another child? ", Patty says her son also hasn't recovered from the ordeal: "About a month ago, I had gotten a call from a neighbor. But the school board was unswayed by the coaches defenders. He was benched for two years as the lawsuit creptthrough the legal system. I said, 'What's the matter?' 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. In my opinion, a good education is so very important for our countrys youth, especially the athletes. I don't have psychic skills. 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. Imagine your best friends making the school soccer team and you getting cut, because your not ready or there is no room. The crime scene evidence that convicted Alex Murdaugh "Did I tell the perpetrators to go and do that to those kids? Heand a group of kids have me surrounded. Because if these attacks are acceptedas hazing, then the school is responsible. The problem was with thekidsand with the parents who brought them upthat way., Sothe parents. 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. This story has been shared 140,209 times. A few blocks from school, Allie Pagano and Sarah Mirenda, both 14, stop at the local pizza shop, Luigi's, on their way home. When a. Statistically showing, at least 100,000 college football players get hurt yearly. At this point, though, those feelings have mostly worn off, replaced by a different set of reactions, from weary resolve to dark humor. We dont beat guysup., Some of his old teammates have gathered to buy drinksfrom him. Colleges and the NCAA can make money selling jerseys and other souvenirs that might include the likeness of players, yet the actual players never receive a cent. Yet to place responsibilityon any adult, coach or parent, means at leastpartially acquitting the kids; to suggest that someoneshould have stopped them is to believe that they couldhave been stopped.