Seven Sayreville football players charged with sexual assault of teammates
Less than a week after Sayreville High School, in New Jersey, canceled the remainder of its football season following allegations of "serious bullying and harassment" of players, seven members of the team were charged in connection to the locker room hazing incidents.
Six players were taken into custody by police on Friday night, and a seventh member of the team was charged while police investigated his whereabouts, NJ Advance Media reports. The charges range from aggravated sexual assault, to criminal restraint, to hazing for engaging in an act of sexual penetration on one victim. No coaches or other school officials have been charged.
A parent of one freshman player alleges that older members of the team were routinely perpetrating sexual assaults on younger players after practices.
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"It was happening every day," the parent told NJ Advance Media. "Kids would just sit around and witness (stuff) like this."
The six players in custody will attend a Family Court hearing that will determine whether they are released into custody of their guardians pending a later court hearing.
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Sarah Eberspacher is an associate editor at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked as a sports reporter at The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus and The Arizona Republic. She graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.
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