Professional football has gotten a lot of flack lately for the actions of its players. From Ray Rice to Adrian Peterson to Greg Hardy to Jonathan Dwyer, the NFL has had four major incidents involving abuse of some sort in the last few months.
After highly negative public reaction, teams and the league have taken a zero-tolerance approach, banning players arrested for, accused of and videotaped committing abuse.
And now, unfortunately, it seems a somewhat similar situation is rearing its ugly head here in New Jersey, at the high school level.
Sayreville War Memorial High School has cancelled the remainder of its football season because of allegations of abuse, intimidation and bullying by upperclassmen players to the freshmen on the team.
We’ll spare you the disturbing details of what one parent says the players are accused of doing, but it involved high levels of intimidation and abuse, some of a sexual nature.
The Middlesex County Prosecutors Office and the town’s police department are investigating the allegations but haven’t released any details at this point. But that didn’t stop the school district from acting.
District Superintendent Richard Labbe broke the news to parents of the players last week, and told the media that there was enough evidence of incidents “on a pervasive level, on a wide-scale level and at a level at which the players knew, tolerated and generally accepted.”
He continued: “We can set the standard right now for all kids for all school districts in Middlesex County, in the state and in the nation that we are not going to stand around and allow kids to do this to one another.”
Good for Labbe and good for the Sayreville school district.
Sports are a way to build character and a sense of team, not a way to break down someone’s spirit and, worse yet, subject them to physical and emotional abuse. No level of intimidation, harassment and bullying should be accepted – ever.
The initial punishment of cancelling the season — and we say initial because criminal charges could follow — fits the crime. The Sayreville school district, and all school districts, need to send a message of what is and what is not acceptable.
Going forward, though, it is essential that schools and, most importantly coaches, send this clear message of acceptability to the players before the season begins.
Student athletes should have a symposium on intimidation, harassment and bullying as part of their pre-season activities, just like running laps and doing drills. Incidents such as this cannot be tolerated.
