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. The priest declares that the father had nothingbut life ahead of him. Watch this highlight video of the Mepham (North Bellmore, NY) football team in its game Recap: Mepham vs. MacArthur 2022 on Nov 4, 2022. He even threatened teachers. "He said to him, 'Don't even think of sleeping at football camp. 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. Was there anything that indicated they were injured or traumatized? You could just seehe had so much anger in him. We have more wealthy backgrounds, saysDanny. A captain is anextension of the coaching staff, he says,slipping into present tense to talk about his team.What the coaches dont control, thecaptains control. Theres no way youcant play me. Hasnt hebeen through enough? We've received your submission. Mepham High School Football Coach Anthony Cracco's Sex Scandal Has Bellmore . The owner of the store posted a sign in his window earlier this month: ''We are Bellmore. Privacy Policy and ''People just want to move on,'' said one teenager, sucking on his cigarette. Did a kid come and tell us? 28 - 13 W. 10/22/2022. The police call what happened in August at thePirates five-day training camp a series ofAbner Louimastyle sex attacks (though,curiously, no student interviewed by police has evenmentioned Louimas name). I want to thank my assistant coach who is the baseball expert. ", Are they lying? Once in high school, senior athletes have scouts that come out to see them play. There's coaches. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. Anyone can read what you share. "He [my son] called several times. The crime scene evidence that convicted Alex Murdaugh He was dyingto play for the Pirateshed gotten AmosZereoues autograph when Zereoue visited hisjunior high. Brackets for the 2023 NJSIAA State Wrestling Championships in Atlantic After the coacheswent to sleep in their own cabin, at least threemembers of the team, ages 15, 16, and 17, allegedlyrubbed heat-producing mineral ice on broomsticks,pinecones, and golf balls and used those items topenetrate at least three freshman players while therest of the boys in the cabin all bore witness. 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. There are the ugly jokes, the signs and buttons declaring neighborhood solidarity, and for some people, new-found activism. Coach Mac talked to my mom, convinced us tostay. "My son came forward, did something that he did not want to do. Berger produced the requiredslip of paper. Criminal coercion. 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.. Moreover, they must spend money on equipment, clothing, and food (37). The report criticized the Wayne County judge, Robert Conway, for his decision not to move the attackers' cases from juvenile to adult court. And one of the leaders selected joined with two other varsity players to sodomize these children. NEW! At a school-board meeting onOctober 1, packed with camera crews and angry parents,Superintendent Caramore tries to explain that hazingsimply doesnt happen at Mephamthatfootball was canceled not because of what the boysallegedly did but because their teammates neverreported it. 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. The conversation easily shifts to a defenseof Coach Mac. . says Cannestro. Mepham High School (North Bellmore, NY) Varsity Football - MaxPreps.com Bells toll. Since returning from camp, he has barely slept. "He was absolutely screaming. But others angrily argue that not enough attention is being paid to the victims' ordeals. He really was.". Tell me why I should just know? The coaches let him go, the report says, ''because he was a good football player. He was always in troubleat school, but not in football. Relatives of the victims, 13 and 14 at the time of the attacks, expressed satisfaction at the outcome. Not a wink. He was benched for two years as the lawsuit creptthrough the legal system. He gave his son a cellphone. This incident could have been foreseeable by the coaches, and possibly the administration, if the coach reported anything to the principal and athletic director. 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. The kid that did it, I feel so bad forhim, the boy says. The abuse occurred day and night, and young players were attacked repeatedly and forced to sodomize each other, the report says. That washazing! Whos going to give him thatmoney now? Involuntary deviate sexualintercourse. Mepham has big hill to climb against Garden City in battle of unbeatens Correspondent Peter Van Sant reports. Of course not. Clutching their schoolbooks in their arms, Allie and Sarah said they actually felt tremendous pride in their school these days. #inline-recirc-item--id-a617c056-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d, #right-rail-recirc-item--id-a617c056-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d { The Nassau Conference II showdown between these two unbeatens has . Five football coaches at the center of the Mepham High School sexual abuse scandal will not be allowed to coach the team next year, the Bellmore-Merrick school board said on Wednesday. Kevin Minnick | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com | Dec 7, 2022. 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. } We dontalways understand, and we dont alwayssee. He attempts a little levityIknow he shared his hopes for the Yankees with theLordbefore straining for profundity:The great artist has finished hisportrait. He urges the mourners to say a prayerfor the family. He was one of four captains chosen by CoachMac his senior season. 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. When Patty and Jimmy's son came home, he told them he had been sodomized, too. But then come the off-color jokes about broomsticks and pine cones from his friends. Perhaps most prominent among the group are Victor and Kristina Reichstein, who have criticized the school's principal, John F. Didden, and the team's head coach, Kevin McElroy, from the beginning. But its notthe only time I hear neighbors, even parents, floatthis notion. 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. Where does it end?". At last nights meeting, one player called the coaches caring role models, and team captain Dan Cosenza hugged McElroy. Waiting outside in front of the hearseis a police escort, to ward off the media. Everyone in the pews has heard how the father had beendevastated by the criminal charges his son was facing.Aggravated assault. Mephamsstudent body is pulled from the northern part of thecommunity, where there are $50,000-a-year jobs and theschool parking lot is dominated by Chevys and Fords. 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. Watch this highlight video of the Mepham (North Bellmore, NY) football team in its game Recap: Mepham vs. Long Beach 2022 on Nov 4, 2022. In an earlier proceeding, the three attackers, charged as juveniles, admitted to the assaults. Now the . We've received your submission. Michelle Yeoh Promises No Swearing, Only Tears During Best Lead Performance Win. Try as they might to rid themselves of it, students, parents and other residents are finding that the incident is now woven into the fabric of life here. 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 In this case the youth should be tried as adults because of the severity of the incident and the emotional and physical effect that it had on the victim, It was six o 'clock at the Friendswood junior high mustang field I was playing strong safety and I had to cover the extra receiver they brought out by the snap I was already beating my man and the next thing I know the ball was sailing my way straight to me. 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. "They had bags of ice and they were bashing it all over his body until the bags broke. Parents demanded:Shouldnt they have been there to stop theseboys? Not a lot of kids are good enough to play in the top college sports programs in the country. The lineman was furious. 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. If such a policy had been in place, one of the attackers would not have been allowed at the camp, the report says. The boy, wearing a regulation backward baseball cap,is standing at the schools west entrance. During the recessional, he submits to a seeminglyendless succession of embracesmuch like theones he received from his former teammates last nightat the wake. I need to know for medical.' 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. This is hard tosayI know he was a good coach and a lot of kidsliked him. By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive email correspondence from us. Theyre a beautiful family. All five lost their coaching positions. Were happy as can be, said Carol, an aunt of one of the victims. This email will be used to sign into all New York sites. We dont beat guysup., Some of his old teammates have gathered to buy drinksfrom him. 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. But other voices emerge at the meeting, corroboratingthe victims contention that hazing is a fact oflife at Mepham. Three days after camp ended, Carol and Vinny's son asked for help. Touring the world with friends one mile and pub at a time; ut austin undergraduate majors Newsletter . By the end of three exciting days in Atlantic City, 14 champions will emerge at the NJSIAA/Rothman Orthopaedics State . MaxPreps is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. 2022 Fall Boys Football New York: Long Island Division II. When trying to become a professional athlete, one must start playing sports as early as possible (Ferguson 34).Playing sports comes with many sacrifices. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. They also understand they will need to sacrifice time, energy, and their social life in order to achieve these goals. But it really happened., McElroys lawyer vehemently denies almost everyaspect of Bergers story. A player tried to flush his head in a urinal. It was supposed to be fun, and glorious. He's back home on Long Island. On Bellmore Avenue, themain drag in town, a mile or so east of Mepham,Docs Pub serves as an unofficial class-reunionspace. High school coaches should not be required to give equal playing time to all players who make the team. 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. They speak ofbroomsticks, pinecones, and golf balls. Tryouts are the worst thing about sports, they bring nothing but more stress to your plate. 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. One of the attackers was allowed to attend camp despite a history of disciplinary problems and not having a permission slip. He had his little list. On 11/4, the Mepham varsity football team won their home conference game against MacArthur (Levittown, NY) by a score of 14-7. During the first day of camp, the hazing was minor, such as one player smearing gel and powder into another's hair. "He didn't go to school for a long time. In the end, they will be left unprepared for life. '', ''This is a wake-up call,'' said the father of one of the victims, who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect his son. Who doyou think you are? said the lineman, accordingto Reichsteins son. Before lastmonth, Mepham High was generally known as anabove-average school with a robust athletic program.Fathers and sons have played for the Mepham Pirates,and Saturday football games are huge social events.The players are the schools heroes: With thepossible exception of Roone Arledge, Mephamsmost famous alumnus has been star Pittsburgh Steelersrunning back Amos Zereoue. no.". Some have hired lawyers for their children. I dont evencare what they did.. "They couldn't be further from the truth," says Cannestro. 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. 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. Instead, thevictims were laughed at in the halls, calledfaggot and broomstick boy.The superintendent, Thomas Caramore, shielded theschool from inquiries at first. When members of a high-school football team on Long Island were accused of sexual attacks, the community was appalled . Stats are entered by the coach or designated team statistician in the admin. One afternoon after practice, they air theirtheories, the chief one being that the lineman musthave been traumatized as a kid. (Smith/AP) Last week's criminal charges involving six New Mexico high school football players alleged to have sexually . On 10/22, the Mepham varsity football team won their home conference game against South Side (Rockville Centre, NY) by a score of 49-18. Mepham High School Football Tragedy 1056 Words | 5 Pages. Bellmore Journal; Life Goes On but Is Altered After School Scandal. The public was barred from the hearing, but the penalties and the judges comments were disclosed by relatives of victims, lawyers and cops. Mepham victims file suitCharge Central District officials knew about Scandal at New Jersey High school reopens hazing debate The issue of blame, however, continues to polarize parents and promises to loom larger as the criminal case moves ahead. At Mepham High School on Long Island, the entire football season was canceled after players admitted to sadistically hazing fellow teammates. The third player in the Mepham HS hazing scandal was sentenced to probation after he made a deal with prosecutors and provided information. That kid wassick! says a player named Rob. Wesley?Wesley was a nasty rat bastard! After Allegations of Abuse, A Football Season Is Canceled "There's nothing anyone else could have done differently," adds Cannestro. The group, which calls itself Mepham Parents 4 Change, consists of eight families, but says it is quickly gathering support. The father died on October 5a daybefore news broke that the lineman may be tried as anadult for some 26 felonies stemming from events thattook place over several late nights in August atMephams football-training camp in Wayne County,Pennsylvania. Our community is being blamed. Mysons season has been completely fucked up! He never brought this incident toMcElroys attention; he must have brought it tothe JV coachs attention. 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. 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). It has been more than a month since school officials and prosecutors revealed that three older players were accused of sodomizing three freshmen with broomsticks, pine cones and golf balls in an attack in late August at a preseason football camp in Pennsylvania. Ultimately, its gonnabe a civil case. Abner Louima sued the New YorkPolice Department for $155 million, eventuallysettling for $8.75 million. During his career, the prolific actor inhabited an array of troubled characters. He quotes oneof the boys as saying, I will never trustanyone again. Report Says Hazing Culture Led to Attacks On 3 Athletes Now even they, however, have grown weary, wishing for a return to their old life. It's a couple of days.' Sofia LaSpina has etched her name in Long Island history. She says Didden said no twice.Thats when Vic stood up and called Didden aliar. The coaches would have to be everywhere at thesame time, says Dave Hill. "All of a sudden, you get this child who's been broken. We said, 'Are they hurting you?' I don't have psychic skills. 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? On a Friday morning in August, 60 kids were droppedoff for the bus ride to Pennsylvania. "Something happened in between those practices every single time, to my son. No!! He did more for me than any coach ever. 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. Athletes must commit time to practice and traveling. I notice when they're injured. "He was robbed of his innocence. Long Island high school rocked by lurid football hazing scandal Jason Statham and Aubrey Plaza do not seem like a match made in action-comedy-chemistry heaven, but it somehow works. Sofia was sentenced to the boot camp and Carney to the detention center both in Pennsylvania. 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. And the report provides the most detailed glimpse yet into the weeklong football camp and the assaults that took place in two cabins last summer. The issue spans to not only the professional level, but the high school and collegiate divisions as well. Its the kind of bar where people stillsmoke and no one cares. He said, 'Well, your son was just online and saying he can't take it anymore. We were afraid they would walk away with probation.. So, no., But, you know, says McDermott, ifthey wanted to do it? McElroy and his coaching staff claim they had no responsibility for a vicious alleged hazing incident at a training camp in Pennsylvania in August. And I can't ever get that back from him," says Patty. At Mepham High School on Long Island, the entire football season was canceled after players admitted to sadistically hazing fellow teammates. The school's 2003 football season was canceled amid allegations that three varsity football players sexually assaulted three . Once the season started, eight players tackled him inthe locker room and lowered him into the toilet; thistime, he says, it contained urine. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. OK? According to the report, ''a lack of accountability appears to permeate the entire structure of the administration and running of this camp program.'' Reichstein triedto stare the lineman down. The grand jury says the five coaches who supervised the team were ''more concerned with being coaches of a football team than interested in the well-being of the players as students.'' School administrators, however, let him get on the bus anyway. Terroristicthreats. And you know, I'm panicking.". Half that shit they didisnt even that bad.. I think the kids covered it up to saveCoach Mac and save their season., Tending bar at Docs is Rob McDermott, class of95. Tell us how you did it coach. These words were forced into my face with a camera lens almost resting against my cheeks (page 395). At this point, the victims would have already suffered numerous attacks. Hasan Minhaj Brings His Powerpoints and Power Suits to Independent Spirit Awards. Because if these attacks are acceptedas hazing, then the school is responsible. display: none; One student lifts up another and dumps him, legs flailing, in a bush. She shouts out all the ladies (mothers and wives) in the room. However, it seems too important to let go. We as coaches donot see this incident as hazing, he said,but as a criminal act., Coach Mac has an attorney, Joseph Rosenthal, who isshifting the blame right back to the parents.The coach is a very dedicated, sincereperson, the lawyer says. 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. 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. Not like Wesley Berger, Vic says.Hes overexposed.. Football coaches fired in alleged hazing aftermath 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. Weve been 0 and 8 since 1999!says James. They have criticized the coaches and school district for lax supervision, accusing Mepham officials of ignoring the long disciplinary record of one of the three attackers. Those individuals who just made the team now deal with a problem that happens mainly from the. Jonathan Anderson gets one of the first qualities of great fashion that it has to feel a bit strange. That was until Berger started practicethe August before his freshman year. Mepham High School football head coach Anthony Cracco says LaSpina is the perfect role model for anyone who wants to just play because she worked hard and never got discouraged, adding there's a . "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. When parents came to an emergency meeting on September16 with the principal and superintendent, they heardnot mea culpas but accusations. Kids have come to practice Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday, and Friday to get better, while their academics are suffering. That decision ''let down and insulted the victims and their families,'' the report says. South Side. Carol said it appeared Conway had sentenced Sofia to the boot camp because he disliked the teens attitude. There were no screams like that.". But these parents say the risk to their children was greater. And who you can expect to see performing and presenting. They have become activists, who say that the incident is just part of a pattern of problems in the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District. 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