"This is an active and ongoing investigation. All rights reserved (About Us). Run by Black journalists at The Boston Globe, Black News Hour, a new radio program, delivers reliable news that connects with our community and expands on deeper issues impacting our city. And several players who face criminal charges remained on the team through a prestigious Thanksgiving game at Fenway Park and continue participating in offseason workouts. On Sept. 25, 2018, three years to the day before the Coucelos incident, a 15-year-old Woburn player was kicked so hard in the head by a teammate that he stumbled, dazed, from the practice field and vomited, he stated in a civil case pending before the state Supreme Judicial Court. Jessica Callanan, principal of Woburn Memorial High School said in a statement to Greater Boston, "the Coucelos familys complaint is and should be taken seriously. Crowley, in a letter to the community this month, said the district has retained an outside law firm to conduct a Title IX investigation of the Coucelos incident, which will be followed by an administrative review and policy analysis by a separate outside agency. I feel like parents need to be more involved and acknowledge who their kids friends are. 2023, Hearst Television Inc. on behalf of WCVB-TV. Hazing Charges Hit Woburn High Football Program The family of a freshman player said the 14-year-old was threatened, punched and sexually assaulted in He allegedly was punched and struck with water bottles, as well as being indecently assaulted. Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. The family also asked Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association to take action against Woburn school officials for allegedly violating MIAA rules on hazing, fighting, and sportsmanship, among others. juvenile justice system handle the Woburn bullying case? ", Shop Our Favorite February Amazon Deals Before the Sales End, The 14 Best Mineral Sunscreens of 2023, According to Pros, 14 TikTok-Famous Cleaning Products That Actually Work, According to Our Experts, 14 Best Healthier Candy Alternatives of 2023, According to Taste Tests. "The school official, superintendent, the principal, vice principal, coaches they all should [face] consequences.. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Then I saw it boil over into the locker room because it caused kids to literally hate each other and fight off the field.. (CNN) - Police are investigating whether a juvenile football player was hazed, and sexually assaulted at school. The Woburn High School football team was on the field Friday night against Melrose High School but off the field, an investigation is underway. The Globe's most recent sports headlines delivered to your inbox every morning. Callanan is leaving after the school year to become the director of academic achievement at Reading Memorial High School. Crowley said in his most recent statement to the Globe that the school district also will make certain that the investigators are aware of this past, unsubstantiated allegation regarding Coach Belcher to ensure that they are provided with any and all context necessary for a full and fair investigation.. Belcher, as the head coach, is responsible for the programs culture, according to specialists in student-athlete safety. AT LEAST ONE PERSON IS WEARING A HAVERHIL FOOTBALL SHIRT. "Very heartbroken.. The matter has also been referred to the Haverhill Police Department for further investigation, according to the school officials' message. A family in Woburn, Massachusetts, wants Police are investigating and members of the teams coaching staff have been placed on administrative leave. It's a shame. With Haverhill forfeiting the contest, Lowell will finish the season with a 4-7 record. Detective assigned to investigate allegations of hazing involving Woburn High School sports team. Warren said a formal announcement is forthcoming. It is my understanding that the allegation was made in 2019 and that the High School administration promptly investigated the allegation in accordance with our bullying prevention policy and procedure, and that it was not substantiated. Its hard to watch but Kevin Couceles says cellphone video shared on social media shows his son being assaulted in the locker room of Woburn Memorial High School after a football game last September. But off the field, an investigation is underway, Sources tell News Center Five Police are investigating whether a juvenile was hazed and sexually assaulted at the school in an incident involving the football team. And this has very negatively impacted both Jonathan and his parents, the whole family.. Lowell Highs annual Thanksgiving Day football game against Haverhill has been canceled due to an alleged hazing incident involving Haverhill players that was caught on video. "Parents deserve to know when they send their kids to play high school sports that their children will be safe.". Andrews is gone. And at some point, he had to leave the school for his safety. It's not good. Callanan hired him in 2017 to succeed Woburns legendary coach, Rocky Nelson, and a former student who played in three of Belchers first four years at Woburn said, My first impression of him was positive. Hanley found the team assault was planned, organized, and executed by a substantial number of sophomore players. One player said he punched Coucelos multiple times after the sophomores like 30 kids decided to beat up Johnathan.. Crowley said the school district consulted with the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) and had a consultant from the Anti-Hazing collaborative work with all of their winter sports coaches. "I am alarmed, concerned and frankly disgusted by what I have been told and by the video that I was shown," Fiorentini said in a statement Wednesday night. Coaches are, by policy, considered responsible for safeguarding student-athletes against any form of abuse. display: none; Belcher started his high school coaching career as an assistant at Bishop Fenwick in 2001. "The matter has also been referred to the Haverhill Police Department for further investigation, according to the school officials' message. Shop Our Favorite February Amazon Deals Before the Sales End, The 14 Best Mineral Sunscreens of 2023, According to Pros, 14 TikTok-Famous Cleaning Products That Actually Work, According to Our Experts, 14 Best Healthier Candy Alternatives of 2023, According to Taste Tests. KYMA/CBS 13/KECY is an equal opportunity employer. Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. Officials said in Saturday's statement that the incident involved a sports team and an alleged incident that occurred "earlier in the school year.". I wasnt there to protect my son," Couceles shared. HOME3-3 AWAY4-0 NEUTRAL0-1. A family in Woburn, Massachusetts, wants to see justice served when it comes to the teenagers accused of assaulting their son in a high school locker room last fall. Woburn police and the Middlesex District Attorneys office are now investigating. Hazing in sports has long served as sort of an initiation rite, juvenile for the most part, not demeaning and vicious in nature. Nelson also determined the groping did not meet the narrow definitions of sexual misconduct under the Title IX law. Andrews, a 2020 graduate of Endicott College, indicated his football experience was limited to Pop Warner and high school. It did explain that additional details were not released because of the ages of those involved. Woburn likes to cover things up, said Kevin Coucelos, Johnathans father and a lifelong resident. The former Woburn player asserted the waiver was warranted in part because of the trauma he allegedly endured in Belchers program. In April, seven Woburn High School students were charged after a 14-year-old football player reported being attacked and sexually assaulted by his teammates in Because the investigation involves minors, both the Woburn Police Department and the Middlesex District Attorneys Office told NBC10 Boston they cannot provide information about the case. "It was pretty nasty, making us look bad. Four days later, they stated, Callanan told them she had addressed the issue, without explaining how. Woburn officials on Saturday issued a statement confirming that a detective was assigned to an investigation involving a high school sports team. A video of the incident allegedly shows members of the Haverhill High School football team hazing a teenage boy. Some Woburn residents are upset that alleged assailants were allowed to play at Fenway in the Thanksgiving game against Winchester. Multiple criminal complaints have been filed against several New Jersey high school students following two probes into allegations of rampant abuse and hazing. They explicitly and repeatedly informed the players of those prohibitions both prior to and subsequent to the [attack]., Crowleys assertion appears contrary to head freshman coach Chris Scichilones statement in the investigative report that training related to hazing or Title IX only occurred after the incident and Andrewss statement that he did not receive any formal training with respect to hazing until after the incident.. >> I DONT KNOW WHAT IS WRONG WITH KIDS TODAY. He says there needs to be more accountability. At BC, he was a 6-foot-4-inch, 270-pound football center and team cocaptain under coach Jack Bicknell, snapping the ball to quarterback Doug Flutie. Haverhill School Superintendent Margaret Marotta notified parents Wednesday that the school department is looking into misconduct involving some members of the high school football team. 2023, Hearst Television Inc. on behalf of WCVB-TV. The student said he felt ill and experienced a lingering headache, but he did not seek treatment from the team athletic trainer for fear of being further characterized as weak. Hanley presented his investigative findings to Carl Nelson, a Woburn middle school principal designated as the decision maker for a federally mandated Title IX review of Couceloss sexual misconduct complaint. I'm Peter Iliopoulos, WCVB News Center five, Okay. Woburn Memorial Football. Due to the ages of those involved, no additional information is available at this time.". What happened to that boy in the locker room was heinous, said Lee Wilson, whose son Logan played for Belcher and graduated in 2020. Its also heinous that Belcher kept those kids on the team.. It was dirty. He said one punched him several times in a school bathroom, and the other entered his Spanish classroom, grabbed him by the shirt, and warned him not to snitch. Now there was a heavy police presence here at the game, but no issues here tonight. It doesn't feel the same anymore to be out in public," he said. While charges are pending for some students, Couceles says the coaches and school leadership should be held accountable, too. "I think the parents need to take action, I feel like parents need to be more involved and acknowledge who their kids friends are and just know their kids' temperament," Austin shared. "The Woburn Police Department and Woburn Public Schools will continue to work together to ensure the safety of all students. Hire A Woburn Area Pro To Get A Head Start On Spring Cleaning. The superintendent said in his letter Tuesday that Woburn Public Schools has retained outside private counsel -- the law firm of Butters Brazilian LLP and Attorney Patrick Hanley -- to conduct a comprehensive Title IX investigation, which remains ongoing. GET BREAKING NEWS IN YOUR BROWSER. I don't think any town or any school is immune from it. It did explain that additional details were not released because of the ages of those involved. Woburn police are seeking assault charges in Lowell Juvenile Court against seven Woburn students, including five football players, for the alleged locker room attack and two subsequent incidents in which Johnathan was the alleged victim. James Austin's son is on the football team. Moving forward, he said all of the districts coaches will be required to undertake extensive supplemental training. The statement issued by Police Chief Robert Rufo, Mayor Scott Galvin and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Matthew Crowley did not state the nature of the complaint or the specific team, but WCVB reports that officials are investigating whether a teenage member of the football program was hazed and sexually assaulted. The Haverhill School Committee was scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. Thursday. We hadnt been winning a lot of games and I thought he might turn things around.. Full statement: "On Wednesday, Oct. 13, the Woburn Police Department received a complaint involving members of a Woburn High School sports team regarding an incident earlier in the school year. The 60-page report includes statements by Chase Andrews, the first-year volunteer assistant who was 23 at the time, and head freshman coach Chris Scichilone that they were not formally trained about hazing before Coucelos was accosted. It was very nasty. On Sept. 25, 2018, three years to the day There should be a lot more charges," he said. The family is asking for accountability from the school. The Woburn case is one of numerous violent incidents in high school sports over the last year that have captured the attention of government officials, civil rights groups, and student safety organizations. Former Woburn High School football player Johnathan Coucelos said he was assaulted and bullied by teammates in the locker room, and the school did nothing to protect him. The 25 new centers are expected to ease the burden on emergency rooms for patients with behavioral health crises. The Globe reported on Saturday that the freshman said he was attacked in a locker room and grabbed by the genitals in an incident caught on video following a September game. He is a good person that cares tremendously for us.. Something needs to be said, something to be done. "The Woburn Police Department and the Middlesex District Attorneys Office are currently investigating the incident. We couldn't do it without you. He was attacked in the bathroom. Just no, they're kids temperament, that stuff. "Haverhill Public Schools will not tolerate hazing, harassment or retaliation in any form," the message reads. It took a big toll on him, very big toll.. KYMA KECY is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation. LEAGUE 4-1 2nd Middlesex - Liberty. Bob Hohler can be reached at robert.hohler@globe.com. Two other Woburn students allegedly accosted Coucelos later, he said. It goes on to show a fourth teen in underwear squatting into the victims face, while other boys screamed and cheered, according to reports. ", Watch: Woburn High School accused of ignoring allegations of bullying. I JUST THINK ITS AWFUL. April 14, 2022, 10:11 p.m. Somehow, ganging up or picking on someone half ones size has come to symbolize the kind of toughness required to be successful on a football field, basketball court or hockey rink. He should have been fired., The Globe asked Belcher and other school officials to comment. THE STUDENTS INVOLVED HAVE BEEN SUSPENDED. "I understand that there have been strong reactions to this situation and appreciate there is a deep desire for as much information as possible regarding the incident and the school districts response," Crowley wrote. Will finish the season with a 4-7 record now investigating she had addressed the,... 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