We have yet another instance of young people behaving badly and now multiple other kids have to suffer because of it.
Haverhill High School has effectively shut down all football activities, canceling all future practices and forfeiting the Thanksgiving Day game, due to serious misconduct involving some members of the school’s team. Things got so bad that even the mayor had to come out and specify that the misconduct was a hazing incident.
A leaked video shows alleged members of the football team hazing and sexually harassing a young man.
Haverhill police confirmed a video that appears to show three young men, one wearing a Haverhill football shirt, dragging another individual across a floor and pulling his clothes off. Another individual, only wearing underwear shorts, stands over the victim’s head and twerks into the victim’s face for 10 seconds while the others scream and cheer.
As a result, members of the coaching staff have been placed on administrative leave during the investigation.
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“Haverhill Public Schools will not tolerate hazing, harassment, or retaliation in any form. Any such misconduct will be responded to swiftly and it will undoubtedly have lasting repercussions for all of those involved,” the school system stated.
In a statement, Haverhill Mayor James J. Fiorentini called the incident “disgusting” and called for the players involved to be permanently removed from the team.
“The boys involved in this disgusting incident should be immediately permanently removed from the team,” Fiorentini said. “Parents deserve to know when they send their kids to play high school sports that their children will be safe.”
Under Massachusetts law, hazing is described as “any conduct or method of initiation into any student organization, whether on public or private property, which wilfully or recklessly endangers the physical or mental health of any student or other person.”
Violations are punishable by fines of up to three thousand dollars or a year in jail.
