Mepham High School Football Tragedy

As we mentioned earlier, the freshman’s mother mentioned to coach McElroy the fact that the upperclassman was calling her son those insulting names. This incident could have been foreseeable by the coaches, and possibly the administration, if the coach reported anything to the principal and athletic director. 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.

Unlike the Mepham High School incident, this case involved hazing rituals from females. Glenbrook High School is known for their annual Powder Puff football game where senior girls take on the junior girls. The Junior girls give money to the senior for the supplies and jerseys for the event. This annual fun event turned into a brutal and violent event that was caught on videotape by students watching. Junior girls were beaten, splattered with paint, and had mud and feces thrown in their faces. Five of the girls ended up in the hospital, one with a broken ankle and another with 10 stiches to their head. "I guess there was some football involved, but then it was pushing, punching, hitting, putting buckets on heads … showering people with debris and, according to one report, human excrement," said Northfield Township District 225 Superintendent Dave Hales. "It was hazing. It was deplorable treatment." Jim Prisching, from the Chicago Tribune said, “Videotapes played on Chicago television stations show girls in yellow jerseys punching, slapping and dumping paint on other girls who are kneeling on the ground. Some spectators hoist cups of