MLB banning hazing ritual of rookies dressing up as women due to fear of offending people

Another day and another baseball tradition will be going the way of tossing pepper and hard slides into second base — and this time because of the PC police.

Major League Baseball players will no longer be allowed to dress up as women in humorous hazing rituals for fear that it could be perceived as offensive toward women, gays, and minorities.

The new policy was enacted by MLB and agreed to by the players as part of the latest collective bargaining agreement that is due to be ratified by the two sides on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.

Those baseball hazing rituals of dressing up rookies as Wonder Woman, Hooters waitresses and Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders will now banned in part of MLB's crackdown on behavior that could be construed as bullying or humiliating to others by playing on gender stereotypes.

Teams will be prohibited from "requiring, coercing or encouraging" players to "dress up as women or wear costumes that may be offensive to individuals based on their race, sex, nationality, age, sexual orientation, gender identify or other characteristic."

Hazing is a common practice by organized groups — such as fraternities, the military and sports teams — where veterans subject first-year members to humiliating or humbling actions or tasks that they must complete as an unofficial rite of passage — admittedly, sometimes getting dangerously out of hand.

Exactly when the harmless annual dress-up day in the majors began isn’t quite clear, but it has become a highly publicized and fun social media ritual over the past few years. And besides sometimes dressing as women, players dress as film or TV characters, super heroes or even rock stars.

So the sissyfication of sports continues — ironically by de-sissifying it.

NJ football team hazing suspects to be tried as juveniles: Report

In a announcement released Monday evening, a New Jersey county prosecutor confirmed that the seven juvenile defendants charged in connection to the highly-publicized sexual hazing allegations which led to the cancellation of a high school football teams' remaining season will not be tried as adults.

Monmouth County Prosecutor Andrew Clay said the seven Sayreville War Memorial High School football players will remain in Family Court and be tried as juveniles, reported NJ.com.

“The conduct in which the juvenile defendants engaged was serious and that is why criminal charges were filed,” Carey said. “The appropriate forum for the resolution of these cases is Middlesex County Family Court. Asking the court to waive these seven juvenile cases to adult court would not best serve the interests of the victims, the community, or the defendants."

The announcement confirms earlier reports that the prosecutor's office would not seek to bump the defendants' cases up to adult court where they could have faced more serious penalties such as prison time.

Pamela Brause, an attorney for one of the seven unnamed defendants, says Carey's decision was the right one. "I believe the prosecutor carefully weighed the facts, assessed the statutes and made the proper decision," she said.

Attorney Richard Klein, who represents another of the defendants, had similar thoughts. "Given the circumstances of the case, with both the defendants and alleged victims being juveniles, we feel that this was the right decision," he said.

Investigators said that between September 19, 2014 and September 29, 2014, one or more of the juvenile defendants allegedly either held the victims against their will, while other juvenile defendants improperly touched the juvenile victims in a sexual manner.

The allegations eventually led to cancellation of the remaining games and the suspension of five members of the Sayreville High football coaching staff, including head coach George Najjar.

According to the prosecutor’s office, the seven teens charged in the case are all between the ages of 15 and 17. Their identities are being withheld because of their ages.

Three of the juvenile defendants are charged with aggravated sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual contact, conspiracy to commit aggravated criminal sexual contact, criminal restraint, and hazing for engaging in an act of sexual penetration upon one of the juvenile victims.

With the threat of a waiver to adult court lifted, the defendants could face lesser penalties, even if they're found guilty. They may even be spared any detention time.

But according to Laura Cohen, director of the Criminal and Youth Justice Clinic at the Rutgers School of Law, juvenile defendants in New Jersey are subject to significant penalties even when tried in juvenile court.

Another high school cancels football season amid sexual hazing and 'waterboarding' allegations: Report

A second high school has cancelled its football season after freshman players were allegedly forced to sexually assault each other in humiliating hazing rites, according to officials from the Pennsylvania school district.

The final two football games at Central Bucks High School West near Philadelphia, were cancelled after it emerged that players allegedly engaged in pre-season hazing rituals such "waterboarding"at the school. The allegations were first reported on Oct. 14.

Superintendent David Weitzel said rookies were required to grab another player's genitals while fully clothed, an initiation that was carried out in front of most team members.

This comes just weeks after criminal charges were lodged against seven players at Sayreville War Memorial High School in New Jersey, over allegations of sexual hazings. Five coaches were also suspended.

In a letter to the school district, Weitzel said: "Our inquiry determined that students new to the team were expected to participate in several initiations that were both humiliating and inappropriate.

"I want to be clear that these activities did not result in physical harm, but were not harmless."

James Donnelly, chief of the Central Bucks Regional Police Department, said he had been notified about allegations of "waterboarding" at the school.

Principal Jason Bucher alerted police that young players had been placed under the shower with towels over their heads, but Donnelly said it was not the waterboarding torture as he understood it.

"The letter was pretty damning and contains some pretty scary information," said Donnelly.

"We don't know if it was just kids horsing around or if it was more serious, but we're going to investigate."

All varsity and junior varsity coaches at Central Bucks have been suspended pending further investigation, said Superintendent Weitzel.

Police said they would investigate whether any of the activity was criminal and whether staff failed to properly supervise team activities. 

For years the school had one of the most successful football programs in the country, including a run of four state titles in the 1990s, when it regularly appeared in national Top 10 rankings.

Its alumni include Cleveland Browns head coach Mike Pettine Jr. and two of his assistants at the one-time football power.

Hazing charges cost star NJ football player scholarship to Penn State: Report

A star football player at the New Jersey high school caught up in a allegations of sexual hazing rituals carried out on other players has lost his scholarship to Penn State University.

Myles Hartsfield, a highly-touted cornerback in his final year at Sayreville War Memorial School was dropped by the Penn State coaches Monday, according to BlueWhiteIllustrated, a fan site for the Big 12 team.

Seven players have been charged with sex crimes over allegations that older team members would routinely hold new players down, penetrate them with their fingers, then stick it in the boy's mouth.

The Nittany Lions pulled Hartsfield’s scholarship offer. The 5-11, 180-pounder committed to Penn State in June, choosing the Big Ten school over offers from Rutgers, Georgia Tech, Purdue, Wake Forest, West Virginia and several others.

Penn State football, which can least afford to get involved in another scandal, is still feeling the aftereffects of the Jerry Sandusky debacle.

Hartsfield, a three-sport star, has been described as an "explosive talent" in offense and defense — and was ranked as the 13th most promising player in New Jersey according to Rivals.com.

But his, and many of his teammates, promising football careers are now in jeopardy after the season was canceled while investigations take place.

The 17-year-old Hartsfield could be tried as an adult.

The scandal widened this week after the Sayreville Schools Superintendent Richard Labbe revealed that the hazing may have been going on for years —  and said that football may be permanently eliminated from the athletics program.

In addition, Rutgers senior associate athletic director Jason Baum said the local product does not hold a Scarlet Knight offer.

“He was committed to another school and when a player commits to another program, they no longer have a committable offer from Rutgers University,” Baum told NJ Advance Media’s Matt Stanmyre in an email on Sunday.

Hazing arrests may push New Jersey high school towards permanantly eliminating football: Report

After the arrest of seven football players for their brutal hazing abuse on freshman members of the team, the scandalized New Jersey high school is discussing the possibility of eliminating the sport permanently from its athletic program.

Sayreville War Memorial High School football has already cancelled the rest of this season.

The disturbing — and highly-publicized — reports of alleged attacks of a sexual nature in the locker room has divided the working class town into two sides — and now Sayreville Schools Superintendent Richard Labbe claims there is a possibility that the sport could be scrapped forever, reported NJ.com.

"I will say clearly: Whether we have a football program moving forward is certainly a question in my mind," Labbe said at a rally calling for schools to do more to tackle bullying and assault. "Based upon the severity of the charges, I'm not sure. I have to look at the results of the investigation. I have to await more information from the Middlesex County Prosecutor's office."

The seven students, 15 to 17 years-old,  have been charged with sex crimes after allegedly pinning down new players, penetrating them with a finger, then sticking it in the boys' mouths. 

Over the weekend, Labbe revealed information gathered by the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Officer suggests harassment, intimidation and bullying may have taken place before this year in the Bombers' locker room.

"The prosecutor said it was pervasive and led me to believe that it's more than one year," Labbe said. "To the extent of that, I'm not sure. I'm confident that it was more than one year. How many more years? I'm not sure."

The new details of the abuse has forced the school officials to consider the future of the powerhouse team, the coach and the principal.

The description of the attacks, which are alleged to have taken place almost every day from September 19 to 29, was given by an unnamed parent of a football player on Saturday.

It came as the coach of the team, George Najjar, refused to answer questions about whether he would resign. He said: "There will be a time and place when I have something to say, but now is not the time."

Three were charged with aggravated sexual assault, criminal restraint, hazing and other crimes for an act of sexual penetration upon one of the children.

The four other students were charged with aggravated criminal sexual contact and other crimes.

Those in custody were awaiting a Family Court decision on whether they would be held at a juvenile detention facility or be released to their families. Their names weren't released because of their ages.

Labbe said that if he decides to suspend the program, he has not thought about how long any suspension may last. He will wait until the prosecutor's office has finished its investigation before making a decision, he said.

Seven players charged with sexual assault in New Jersey high school football hazing: Report

Seven players from a New Jersey football team have been charged with sex crimes in connection with a series of assaults stemming from an investigation into hazing by team members. The alleged attacks of a sexual nature have already led to the cancellation of the rest of the school's football season.

Six of the seven Sayreville War Memorial High School players, ranging in age from 15 to 17, were arrested Friday night, and the seventh was being sought, police and prosecutors said.

The scandal has rocked and divided the working class town in central New Jersey.

Three of the players were charged with aggravated sexual assault, criminal restraint, hazing and other crimes for an act of sexual penetration upon one of the children, Middlesex County prosecutor Andrew C. Carey said. The four other students were charged with aggravated criminal sexual contact and other crimes, reported NJ.com.

The group is charged with attacking four other members of the regional football power, on four separate occasions between Sept. 19 and Sept. 29, authorities said. Their investigation found that the students held other teens against their will and improperly touched them in a sexual manner. 

One of the victims was kicked during an attack, police said.

The seven teenagers charged in the hazing scandal — their identities withheld because of their ages —are to appear before a Superior Court judge who oversees criminal cases involving juvenile defendants who are under the age of 18.

Teenagers who are tried and found guilty of charges under the state’s juvenile delinquency statutes face lesser penalties than an adult. In fact, juveniles who remain in juvenile court don’t go to prison, but are incarcerated at juvenile justice facilities or detention centers in the state. They may even be spared any detention time.

The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, however, could ask a judge to “waive” them to adult  —criminal court where the juveniles would be charged and tried as adults.

According to NJ.com, there are significant sentencing differences in juvenile versus adult court:

• Aggravated sexual assault: Under juvenile delinquency code carries no more than five years incarceration, but the first degree crime carries up to 20 years in prison if convicted in adult court.

• Aggravated assault: Under juvenile delinquency code carries 60 days to a year, but if it is a second degree crime in adult court it can carry up to 10 years in prison.

• Criminal restraint and aggravated criminal sexual contact: Under juvenile delinquency code carry no more than 60 days incarceration, but as third degree crime in adult court carry sentences of 3 to 5 years in prison.

• Hazing and riot are fourth degree crimes that presume no incarceration for juveniles but could result in up to 16 months in prison for adults.

The juveniles would also have criminal records if convicted of the crimes in adult court and could be registered as sex offenders under Megan’s Law.

No court dates have been scheduled, according to the prosecutor’s office.

NJ high school football players could face prison if hazing charges are true: Report

Canceling the 2014 season might be the least of the problems facing some players from a New Jersey high school football team involved in alleged hazing and bullying of a sexual nature if any of the behavior is true and if any of the young men are convicted.

If the allegations about the disturbing rituals in the Sayreville War Memorial High School football locker room are proven, those who committed the acts could face lengthy prison sentences if convicted, says a former New Jersey prosecutor.

Robert Honecker, a former first assistant prosecutor in Monmouth County who is now a defense attorney, said the charges depend upon the acts involved, as well as the age of the victim and defendant.

Honecker has no connection to the hazing allegations that rocked one of the state’s powerhouse football teams over the past week, but based on the allegations made by a parent of a football player in Sayreville as told to NJ Advance Media reporter Matthew Stanmyre, he made a list of possible charges that could be brought.

He said the parent’s story fits into the sexual assault statute as well as the hazing statute.

“There is aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual contact and sexual contact,” he said. “They would all fit. There would be a count for each victim.”

The parent claimed that senior football players would darken the locker room, grab a freshman football player, restrain him and then force a finger into the younger player’s rectum.

Honecker said if the seniors who participated are under 18 years old, they must be charged as juveniles. But the prosecutor’s office could make a motion before a judge to waive them to adult court, where the penalties for the same crimes are much more severe.

He said if the senior football players are charged and prosecuted as juveniles, aggravated sexual assault carries a five-year incarceration, but not in state prison. There are reformatories and facilities that house youthful offenders.

In adult court, aggravated sexual assault is a first-degree crime and punishable by 10 to 20 years in state prison. Sexual assault is second degree and carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. Aggravated criminal sexual contact is third degree, which is up to five years in prison. Sexual contact is fourth degree and could result in a 16-month prison sentence.

“They (the allegations) also fall under the hazing statute,” Honecker said. “Hazing alone is a disorderly persons offense but if someone suffers serious bodily injury it becomes aggravated hazing, a fourth degree.”

He said the seniors could also face charges of criminal restraint, a third degree crime.

The ages of the victims — 13 or 14 — and the seniors — 17 or 18 — could increase the severity of the charge filed as well, Honecker said.

He said the investigation by law enforcement into these allegations could take months.

“Hazing cases sometimes are difficult to prosecute,” Honecker said. “Victims don’t easily come forward. Once the victim or multiple victims do come forward, then the cases can be prosecuted, but you have to get them in the door.”

Sexual nature of alleged New Jersey HS football hazings is revealed: Report

The alleged sexual hazing rituals which forced a New Jersey high school football team to cancel the rest of its season have been revealed by the parent of a player in the program — and the details are are disturbing.

The reported attacks within Sayreville War Memorial High School's football program happened frequently and without warning, the parent claimed. It would start with a howling noise from a senior football player before the locker room lights were abruptly shut off.

NJ.com wrote: 

In the darkness, a freshman football player would be pinned to the locker room floor, his arms and feet held down by multiple upperclassmen. Then, the victim would be lifted to his feet while a finger was forced into his rectum. Sometimes, the same finger was then shoved into the freshman player’s mouth.

It happened almost every day in the locker room this fall, he said.

The allegations — revealed for the first time — provide details to the events that sparked a criminal investigation by local and county police, and prompted the cancellation of the remainder of the Sayreville football season this week by Superintendent of Schools Richard Labbe.

“[For] 10 seconds, the lights would go off and they would grab a freshman and they would go on,” the parent said. “Right on the floor. … It was happening every day. They would get the freshmen.”

“Kids would just sit around and witness [stuff] like this.”

The parent, informed by his son and other parents close to the investigation, is the first to come forward to reveal the hazing practices Labbe has characterized as “incidences of harassment, intimidation and bullying as constituted by the definition within the anti-bullying statute that took place on a pervasive level, on a wide-scale level, and at a level in which the players knew, tolerated, and in general accepted.”

According to the parent, whose identity is being protected because the parent feared retribution against the family and the player, the routine was initiated when an upperclassman would enter the locker room and make a wolf call or howling noise.

The parent said the “ringleaders” involved in the hazing are seniors.

No charges have been filed.

N.J. high school cancels rest of football season amid 'sexual' hazing allegations: Report

While local and county authorities looks into reports of a New Jersey high school football team's widespread hazing, the school has decided to cancel the remainder of its season because of the bullying allegations.

After an emotional two hour meeting with school officials and parents of the football players, Sayreville High School decided to cancel the rest of the season. The cancellation affects all levels of play — freshman, junior varsity and varsity.

The announcement was made after the private meeting held Monday night.

"This is a very sad day here in Sayreville," Superintendent of Schools Dr. Richard Labbe said in a statement to reporters after the meeting.

There was enough evidence to substantiate the allegations of harassment and intimidation at the center of a separate criminal investigation by police and prosecutors, said Labbe.

The incidents took place "on a pervasive level, on a widescale level, and at a level in which the players knew, tolerated and in general accepted," he said. 

Labbe said canceling the season sends a clear message that the behavior won't be tolerated. No players have been suspended.

This district and this board of education is making a unified stance to say 'no.' No to bullying," said Labbe.

The Middlesex County Prosecutor said Friday it was investigating a report that seniors on the team hazed freshmen in various forms, some of which could be considered sexual assault.

Sayreville High School's football team, one of New Jersey's top programs, already forfeited multiple games amid the hazing accusations, including last Thursday night's big showdown with rival South Brunswick.

Parents, mostly of football players, met with school officials Friday and expressed frustration that many players they felt were innocent were being unfairly punished.

The decision set off a Twitter war.

Meanwhile, police are also investigating the team's assistant football coach Charlie Garcia, after they found more than two boxes of steroids and more than a dozen syringes during a traffic stop late last month.

Twin UNM soccer players drop out after hazing ritual of drinking, 'stripping and urine spraying': Report

A set of female twin soccer players at the University of Mexico have dropped out of the school after one of the women was hospitalized from drinking alcohol and reportedly being abused during a hazing ritual.

The 18-year-old fraternal twin sisters, Danielle and Devin Scelsi, from Trabuco Canyon, California, pulled out of the school following Sunday night's bizarre incident, reported the Daily Mail.

UNM officials said heavy drinking was involved but they rejected local media reports that Sunday night's incident involved players being made to strip, or even being sprayed with urine.

The university has canceled the first match of the women's soccer team's season this week after the troubling hazing incident left another young woman in the hospital.

The OC Weekly reported that Danielle Scelsi called campus police to report her sister Devin was struggling to breathe and appeared to be vomiting after drinking. 

Officers found two other teens in the apartment with the teen sisters who also seemed drunk. Devin Scelsi was taken to a hospital and another 18-year-old was taken to a separate center. 

Two days after the incident, the sisters had left the school, the OC Weekly reported. 

Their mother Dawn Scelsi told KTLA her freshman daughters were brutally hazed by older members of the team. 

Two students have left UNM as a result of the initiations, the team's coach confirmed on Wednesday. 

"We failed the young women of our soccer program who did not understand the seriousness of hazing," UNM athletic director Paul Krebs told a news conference in Albuquerque.

"These are good women, but they damaged the reputation of the university, the women's soccer program, and themselves."

Krebs said an ongoing probe has revealed that the majority of the team's players were consuming alcohol at more than one off-campus location, but that none of them were forced to drink.

A report by UNM campus police said officers responding to a 911 call took one 18-year-old player to hospital who was extremely intoxicated and had trouble breathing.

A second intoxicated 18-year-old, who was having trouble standing, was not transported, police said. 

Krebs said that while the investigation continues, Friday's season opener against Texas Tech in the Mountain West Conference has been canceled, resulting in a $5,000 fine for UNM.

High school juniors brutally beaten in sports fan club hazing incident

During an disturbing and violent tradition, a group of Washington state high school juniors were brutally beaten and humiliated in what authorities believe to be a hazing ritual for an exclusive sports fan club.

Authorities in Snohomish County, Washington are investigating the hazing initiation, which occurred Monday night in a park near Inglemoor High School, where students with the unofficial football fan group the "Naked Viks" were beaten with golf clubs and PVC pipes.

The Naked Viks group has traditionally performed in front of the home crowd since it was founded in 1996.

Detectives told news station KIRO-TV that the blind-folded victims were led into the woods, coated with flour and maple syrup, and were urinated on during the hazing.

Graphic photographs show students covered in bruises, with angry red welts across their backs, mixed with dirt and other grime.

Student James Walvatne told the station that he, along with six other juniors, were chosen by graduating seniors to be initiated on Monday night. To him and the others, it was a high honor.

"It's just tradition," he told KIRO. "I don't think (the students) should be in trouble that could just ruin their lives," Walvatne said.

Neighbors, hearing the screams of the seven teenagers, quickly called authorities Monday night.

Snohomish County sheriff's deputies arrived to the park to find a dozen teenagers between the ages of 16 and 18.

Police said that some teens had on only shorts, and were bleeding from open wounds, KOMONews.com reports.

Some of the victims also showed signs of hypothermia, and were rushed to the hospital.

The school has since launched an investigation and has banned the Naked Viks from any school-related function.

Chris Perkins told KIRO Radio that he was one of the founding members of the Naked Viks back in 1996. "It was guys wearing half-cut white T-shirts running 'Naked Viks' on them, and acting crazy at football games," he explained.

"You hang out before the games, it was just being goofy."

Perkins said the tradition of the fan club was passed down from seniors to juniors in a handoff system, usually to students they knew through sports teams.

It is unclear what charges await the seniors of the Naked Viks, as authorities report none of the juniors who were being hazed asked the seniors to stop.