Eleven high school lacrosse players in Syracuse, New York, have turned themselves in to face charges of hazing five younger teammates to make them believe they were being abducted.
The students, some of whom are 18, are members of the Westhill High School lacrosse team. They are accused of engaging in hazing the victims on April 24 by staging the fake abduction, including the use of a knife and a gun.
While five younger players were targeted, four got away, leaving one victim to be restrained, blindfolded and put in a car trunk, according to Syracuse.com.
The victim was told he would be abandoned in a remote area but was returned to his home unharmed. The alleged events of the hazing were videotaped, according to The Associated Press.
On Tuesday, Onondaga County District Attorney Bill Fitzpatrick made an offer and ultimatum to the 11 players involved to turn themselves in by Thursday or face felony charges of second-degree kidnapping. All 11 have since turned themselves in, and as such will face lower-level charges that would not result in jail time if a conviction is secured.
The team’s coach, Aaron Cahill, said in a statement on LinkedIn that he and other coaches had no prior knowledge of the hazing incident.
“To the victims, their families, and everyone in the Westhill community — my heart is broken for you. The pain and hurt this has caused is very real, and no one should ever have to endure this,” he wrote. “Let me be clear: our coaching staff and I have cooperated fully with the ongoing investigation. We have been confirmed to have had absolutely no prior knowledge of this incident.”
The Westhill Central School District has canceled the lacrosse season.
“Let me be clear: the majority of the varsity boys lacrosse team was NOT involved in the incident from last week, nor were they aware of it ahead of time,” Westhill CSD Superintendent Stephen Dunham said in a letter to parents, according to Syracuse.com. “Some may argue that all student-athletes shouldn’t be punished for the actions of a few. While I understand that perspective, we must address the culture of the program, and the most appropriate way to do that is with a reset.”
Former team members have stressed that hazing rituals were not a tradition.
“What happened is definitely not something that’s tradition,” 2018 Westhill graduate Luke McAnaney, whose older brother also played on the team, told NBC News. He said “nobody condones this” and that “I feel awful for all the guys who weren’t involved. All the hours that you put into this is now thrown away.”
