Jon Hamm implicated in brutal 1990 frat hazing

Jon Hamm has been implicated in a brutal 1990s frat hazing — (Image credit: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

As a University of Texas sophomore in 1990, Man Men star Jon Hamm participated in a hazing incident at Sigma Nu that led to criminal charges and the shuttering of the UT chapter of the fraternity, The Associated Press reported Thursday, citing court and school records.

In a 1991 lawsuit, former Sigma Nu pledge Mark Allen Sanders said Hamm got "mad, I mean really mad," when Sanders failed to recite the right things, then beat him with a paddle, shoved his face in dirt, and set his jeans on fire. The hazing incident also allegedly included Sanders being dragged by a hammer and severely beaten, and Hamm took part "till the very end," Sanders said in his suit. The lawsuit was dismissed in 1993, but Hamm and other frat members were charged with violent hazing, and Hamm received probation under a deferred adjudication.

The records were never sealed, AP notes, "but Hamm was not famous when the incident happened and his connection to the case didn't come to light until Star magazine reported on it this week." Hamm's representatives didn't respond to AP's request for comment.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.