Between Sept. 19 and Sept. 29, four freshman students were assaulted as they became part of their high school football team. It would all start with a howling noise coming from one of the main senior football players. The lights would turn off abruptly in the football locker room of Sayreville War Memorial High School. Seven senior players would begin the ritual of pinning down the arms and legs of the freshman players. They would then begin to physically assault them.
They call it a ritual, as society calls it hazing. It has been brought to the attention of the public that this act has been taking place for multiple years before this. The punishments that were made for these students and players were harsh, but needed.
The superintendent of Sayreville canceled the entire football season. Although this punishes the entire team and anyone involved at the games on Friday nights, I feel as if anything less than that would not have done enough. The school needs to make a big stand, like stopping the season, because of what an awful act those seven boys had been doing, and the boys from years past. Not only are the acts extremely violent, the knowledge of this happening was widespread, and people are just now stepping up.
Personally, I try to look at it in the eyes of one of the freshman players. While everyone sees it as a big joke, you wouldn’t want to make a big deal out of it. Being a freshman, you would never want to call a senior out, especially not a senior football player. The fact that this is just now being brought to the attention of the authorities proves this.
The seven boys were charged with multiple sexual assault and restraint crimes. These boys are finally getting treated like the criminals that they are and more evidence is being found about the boys from the previous hazing rituals. The teens between the age of 15 to 17 are alleged to have held the four younger victims against their will and assault them.
If this were to happen at this school, I feel like it would be brought to the attention of someone’s parental guardian fairly quickly and the issue would be stopped. Something this severe gets talked about, and word travels quickly in our town. I would only hope that any act of initiation or hazing would be put to an end because the embarrassment of another person for your own good is simply inhumane.
Since this incident has occurred, there have been many backlashes. After a meeting among the Sayreville school board, the decision was made to fire head football coach, George Najjar, and four assistant coaches. An upper classman tweeted minutes after the season was canceled, “if the freshman thought we hated them before, we sure as hell hate them now”.
What concerns me most is that I can see this reaction happening in our school. It’s not right, and I don’t think people understand the importance and seriousness of their words.