Report: Sayreville coaches could face discipline over hazing

Sayreville school officials have repeatedly said there is no proof to suggest that staff members were aware of the alleged hazing that took place in the football team's locker room. But the district still hasn't ruled out the possibility that coaches may face some type of disciplinary action.

Banners for state championships for the Sayreville War Memorial High School football team are lined up on a sign along Main Street in Sayreville, N.J., Saturday, Oct. 11, 2014. Seven students were charged with sex crimes in connection with a series of assaults amid an investigation into hazing by the high school football team, which already led to the cancellation of the rest of the season, authorities said. Six of the seven students, ranging in age from 15 to 17, were arrested Friday night, and the seventh was being sought, police and prosecutors said. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

According to an article on NJ.com, Sayreville Superintendent of Schools Richard Labbe "has not yet indicated what, if any, disciplinary action the coaching staff could face as a result of allegations of sexual assault and hazing inside the team’s locker room."

The article states that the staff members are expected to show up for work next week, but what happens beyond that remains unclear. Sources told NJ.com that pending the outcome of the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office investigation, disciplinary actions for employees who may have been aware of the alleged sexual assaults range from letters of reprimand to termination.

On Oct. 10, the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office announced that charges were filed against seven juveniles in connection with alleged attacks on four victims, in four separate incidents at Sayreville War Memorial High School. Three of the seven were charged with sexual assault.

Six of the seven suspects were taken into custody on Oct. 10, “on charges of juvenile delinquency arising from the attacks,” according to a press release issued last week by Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey and Chief John Zebrowski of the Sayreville Police Department. The seventh juvenile surrendered to police the following day, according to an update from authorities.

News of the allegations prompted the district to cancel the remainder of the district’s 2014 football season.

As the community continues to struggle with the allegations in the wake of the hazing, Sayreville hiredhigh-powered crisis management firm, Abernathy MacGregor, to help local officials field questions about the incidents.

The Sayreville Board of Education's attorney, Jonathan Busch, told NJ.com that the district can't investigate the reported hazing until the county prosecutor's office has finished it's own investigation. The district plans to look into the charges when the prosecutor's office has concluded its review.

Filed Under: Sayreville HS football

Categories: New Jersey News