The victims didn't tell us. I think the kids covered it up to saveCoach Mac and save their season., Tending bar at Docs is Rob McDermott, class of95. Correspondent Peter Van Sant reports. . A few blocks from school, Allie Pagano and Sarah Mirenda, both 14, stop at the local pizza shop, Luigi's, on their way home. Two of the kids are underclassmen, littlekids, he says. "They have to be lying.". McElroy says district policy discourages it: "To put a coach in the room, you're putting the coach or the adult right now at incredible risk of sexual charges.". Just because someone shows up and participates, doesnt not mean they deserve the same treatment as everyone else. It's a couple of days.' On 11/4, the Mepham varsity football team won their home conference game against MacArthur (Levittown, NY) by a score of 14-7. Still, they will be held accountable for what they did on some level, she added. This guysstill the head coach., Its a fact of lifein Bellmore and Merrick that the farther south you go,the more money youll find. 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. "He's victimized because I asked him to do a favor in this. Now even they, however, have grown weary, wishing for a return to their old life. All the while, older players watched and laughed. This wasn't just something that happened when the lights went out.". Hasan Minhaj Brings His Powerpoints and Power Suits to Independent Spirit Awards. 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. Including dishwasher-safe Japanese porcelain, two sets of French-made knives, and a sleek kettle. The report criticized the Wayne County judge, Robert Conway, for his decision not to move the attackers' cases from juvenile to adult court. mepham high school football scandal. Coach Mac talked to my mom, convinced us tostay. We love our children. 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. Since returning from camp, he has barely slept. I need to know for medical.' 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. But one kid whogot it in the shitter, hes just like afag., Yeah, he says. At least one group of parents has decided they will continue to speak out. When athletes experience head trauma, they only recover a little, which might end their career early or other times people never recover. In the meantime, experts say violent hazings in high schools are becoming more frequent. ), I knew all those kids, saysanother boy, a JV player. (516) 569-4000, To donate or for more information, click here, Chamber, mayors office are no match for the Thunderbolts. I need to see a doctor,'" says Carol. Did I do anything to those kids?" Doyou know who I am?, The freshman, trying to show a little backbone,replied: This is America. Thats when Berger says Coach Mac lunged athimhis hand reaching the boys throat. But rather, in my opinion, how could the coaches have known?" 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. 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. The two boys join their sister tobring the Communion offerings forward as the mournerssing Be Not Afraid.. 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. Into the locker! He was riding the bus along with varsity members, who held him upside down. Yeah, that shit gotfreakin blown up. Waiting outside in front of the hearseis a police escort, to ward off the media. Imagine your best friends making the school soccer team and you getting cut, because your not ready or there is no room. 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). Most of themare yelling. Days later, the school wentahead with its annual pep rally, in a gesture ofsupport for Coach Mac and the sidelined Pirates. I am 13 years old and I am on the Friendswood junior high C-football team I am a second string slot receiver and starting strong safety and I 'm also a second string strong side linebacker it was our last game of the season,so we really wanted to go out on the win or a record for the season was one way in five losses and one tie,we hadn 't had a great season so we especially wanted to go out on a win. "He said to him, 'Don't even think of sleeping at football camp. Every year parents and students of local schools can come and enjoy seeing kids of their community playing football, which could make a player's future bright, and a grandparent proud. Kevin Minnick | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com | Dec 7, 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. Nassau County Girl Scouts fundraise for victims of quake in Syria, Turkey at Masjid Hamza, Powered by Creative Circle Media Solutions. My sons not. Are you on crack? It's, like, they're monsters," says Patty. During the recessional, he submits to a seeminglyendless succession of embracesmuch like theones he received from his former teammates last nightat the wake. 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. "What constitutes a scream?" Offscreen, he was one himself. "Yeah," says Cannestro. They speak ofbroomsticks, pinecones, and golf balls. 28 - 13 W. 10/22/2022. Then it became a football school. maize high school basketball roster. Oh, Loosey! "The gastroenterologist said, 'What happened? 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. He really was.". Amos scored 29 touchdowns in hisjunior year and broke all of Long Islandsrushing records. But then come the off-color jokes about broomsticks and pine cones from his friends. Why wasn't there a coach sleeping in the cabins? 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. Mary explodes. Mepham was known mainlyfor its wrestling program until Coach Mac arrived in1986. We got all new things to bring to pack. But even those who are, still have an astonishingly low chance at making the professional leagues. Should they also get paid the same amount even if another co-worker is better at their job? Here's why food advocates are worried they cant afford it. Dominick Novello #2, Mepham quarterback, throws a pass during a rain-filled Nassau County football Conference II semifinal against Long Beach at Shuart Stadium on Friday, Nov. 11, 2022. 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 The way they walked? ''It's got to end here. 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. McElroy hadnothing to do with this kid, Joe Rosenthalsays. I think hes adirtbag. "He was robbed of his innocence. When parents came to an emergency meeting on September16 with the principal and superintendent, they heardnot mea culpas but accusations. You know, what could be going on? Anotherparent, Jim Rullo, delivers a prepared statement onbehalf of the victims families. Vic and Kristina have done The Early Show and20/20. 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. I went to summerschool with them. The lineman, he says,was always starting fights. 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. The issue of blame, however, continues to polarize parents and promises to loom larger as the criminal case moves ahead. Now the Reichsteins have written the stateDepartment of Education, demanding an investigation. Tryouts are the worst thing about sports, they bring nothing but more stress to your plate. "My son came forward, did something that he did not want to do. Nothing.". Over the next few days, the broomstick assaults were repeated. We have more wealthy backgrounds, saysDanny. A failure can be a downward spiral or a setback turning into a benefit. If such a policy had been in place, one of the attackers would not have been allowed at the camp, the report says. Terms of Service apply. The conversation easily shifts to a defenseof Coach Mac. According to a local new report, two older students called the boy to the back of the bus and, in addition to the wedgie, punched the 13-year-old in the groin and stomach all as a part of an initiation ritual. 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. "I don't want everything he's gone through to be just a waste. I think they hated me because I introduced the pull-up to their strength and conditioning program. They were later suspended from classes on September 18. Mineral ice and especially that he now had, from the first time, a cut," says Carol. This was a sexual attack!, Are we gonna argue about this? No! 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? 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. 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. But the school board was unswayed by the coaches defenders. Go to the back of theline.. By the end of three exciting days in Atlantic City, 14 champions will emerge at the NJSIAA/Rothman Orthopaedics State . "There's nothing anyone else could have done differently," adds Cannestro. The Mepham-Garden City football game this week could be a juicy one. Three days after camp ended, Carol and Vinny's son asked for help. 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. Sofia was sent to a boot camp, and Carney was sent to a juvenile detention center. 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. And you know, I'm panicking.". Trust me been there done that, the most regretted thing about school sports for many are tryouts. Hes been introuble before, that kid. Four members of the faculty were either fired or forced out because of the scandal. 1999, McAlester High School, Oklahoma: A football player suffered a head injury after he was jumped by older teammates in a locker-room hazing. But the victims told their parents they were screaming at the top of their lungs. Which mayexplain why Coach Mac, in his only public statement,has concurred with Caramore. He had his little list. Throughout September, a question hung in the air:Would Wayne County district attorney Mark Zimmer trythe boys as adults, which would mean that each couldface up to twenty years in prison? We dont beat guysup., Some of his old teammates have gathered to buy drinksfrom him. But critics say their mistakes started early. Also it brings down students self esteem. 10/08/2022. display: none; So, no., But, you know, says McDermott, ifthey wanted to do it? He never judged us, saysDave Lohman, class of 94. 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. The morals, the attitudes, of a Mepham student,are different, suggests another Kennedy player,Danny. Stats are entered by the coach or designated team statistician in the admin. Bellmore Journal; Life Goes On but Is Altered After School Scandal. Hes dangerous, hes terrifying, hes an extra in, How to Watch the 2023 Oscars Celebrate All 23 Categories Live Again. Mepham High School Football Coach Anthony Cracco's Sex Scandal Has Bellmore . Ultimately, its gonnabe a civil case. Abner Louima sued the New YorkPolice Department for $155 million, eventuallysettling for $8.75 million. When I was in ninth grade, says Lohman,my father died and my mother wanted to move toFlorida. I don't have psychic skills. at Garden City. If three victims getanything close to that much each, it would devastatethe school districts budget. NEW! 18 - 35 L. 10/15/2022. Regardless, I was all about making them the best well-rounded people before they head into the cruel world. Should a person get paid just for showing up for there a job and not actually doing anything? At 1:21 p.m. last Friday, the Mepham High School football and cheerleading squads should have rushed onto Mepham's field for a