He told the Free Press last month that the suspects could be still be charged, even if the victim won't talk. But it stressed that the "safety, health and education" of students is the "top priority, " and that hazing is a serious issue. The list of names was sent by text, to the parents of the accused. Five of the teens charged are are now in college. Connect with friends faster than ever with the new Facebook app. "If there’s a crime and we can prove it, and we feel that charges are justified, we will go forward. "Our hearts and prayers are with those impacted by the hazing, particularly the students who were victimized and their families," De La Salle said in a statement Monday. The lawsuit seeks an unspecified amount of monetary damages from De La Salle, and aims to get the students reinstated. Then came pressure for the accused to talk, the suit states. In the fall of 2019, an investigation by Warren police determined that football players used broomsticks in a sexual manner to taunt other players in the locker room as part of a hazing ritual. As if forfeiting the playoffs wasn't bad enough, Warren De La Salle's championship football team took a few more hits Monday: The head coach was fired, just hours after three suspended players filed a lawsuit against the school. Warren police conducted an investigation into the De La Salle football program after the team forfeited its Michigan high school playoff game due to allegations of hazing. "That is not a determining factor for our office going forward," Wendling has previously said. Show full articles without "Continue Reading" button for {0} hours. (Photo: Facebook photo) As a young sports reporter for the Free Press in 1979, I wrote my first hazing story, but I called it “initiation.” Knight was not available for comment, though he has previously defended his decision to forfeit the playoffs, saying he didn't want the team to play the game "under this cloud and under these troubling issues.". This had everything to do with (De La Salle President) John Knight trying to get rid of the head football coach," said attorney Paul Addis, who filed a defamation, libel and discrimination lawsuit Monday on behalf of the three suspended athletes. According to police, about 65 people have been interviewed since the allegations surfaced, including 59 players and six school officials, including coaches. Warren police conducted an investigation into the De La Salle football program after the team forfeited its Michigan high school playoff game due to allegations of hazing. According to the lawsuit, here is what the three students and their families have been dealing with: On Nov. 4, three football players were suspended, though their parents were never given details as to why. St. Clair County Prosecutor Mike Wendling says they met several conditions, including participation in an anti-bullying program and writing apology letters to victims. WARREN — De La Salle Collegiate and its Board of Trustees have been named in a lawsuit filed Dec. 16 on behalf of three student-athletes who were suspended amid an investigation into alleged hazing within the high school’s football program. According to police, the three suspended players and a dozen of their teammates are not cooperating. Yet my three are the only ones being proclaimed the poster child for it? Knight previously said. The suspended athletes say they've been wrongfully accused of hazing and racially discriminated against, claiming 10 white football players are also under investigation for hazing, yet they are still allowed to attend school. But while the police deal with silence, the new lawsuit offers insight into the investigation and interrogation that the accused say they've been subjected to. WARREN, Mich. (WWJ) - Multiple Warren De La Salle High School football players are expected to face charges following a police investigation into hazing allegations. Meanwhile, St. Clair County Prosecutor Michael Wendling is expected to make a decision soon as to whether to charge the three accused football players. If this is a deep-rooted systemic problem, why isn't  there anything out there? They were only told in a telephone call that their sons'  names were "mentioned in an investigation," but nothing else, the suit claims. De La Salle Collegiate football team. Addis, a 1993 De La Salle graduate who also played football there, said he doesn't believe that hazing is deep-rooted at De La Salle, as administrators have claimed. ", Contact Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com. Wendling said there were lot of rumors circulating about the scandal; some of which were untrue. WARREN, Mich. (FOX 2) - All charges have been dropped against students said to be involved in a hazing case out of De La Salle Collegiate High School in Warren. It's just unbelievable, unconscionable," Addis said of the treatment of his clients. The Warren Police Department has begun interviewing students, with parents present, and plans to interview every member of the Warren De La Salle varsity football team amid a hazing incident that led the school to cancel its state playoff game last week. He was on paid administrative leave since shortly after the hazing allegations broke. “We worked the weekend and we’re thoroughly investigating the allegations,” Warren Police Commissioner Bill Dwyer said. Following alleged hazing incidents within the Warren De La Salle football program, Warren police commissioner William Dwyer said Friday that his department has launched a … ", "The allegations were that it had gone on for a long period of time," he added," and not just with these defendants.". (WWJ) Misdemeanor assault charges have been dropped against seven teens accused of hazing fellow members of the football team at De La Salle Collegiate, an all-boys school in Warren. We investigated several, so there were multiple victim alleged throughout the case. Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article. Wendling said. The St. Clair County prosecutor's office says charges against seven students were dropped and the cases have been dismissed. We don’t even know who the (alleged victim)  is," Addis said. According to … The controversy has rocked De La Salle Collegiate, a Catholic school and football powerhouse in Warren. In 2017, Giannone was named the Free Press All-State Dream Team coach of the year. Warren Police Commissioner Bill Dwyer said school administrators met with detectives Friday. A venerated football coach from De La Salle Collegiate High School was fired amidst an investigation into a hazing incident involving a broomstick. In 18 seasons at Dakota, Giannone had a 158-51 record, and his teams won the Division 1 state championship in 2006 and 2007. De La Salle … WARREN, Mich. (WXYZ) — Charges have been dropped against seven Warren De La Salle football players who were charged in a hazing incident last year. The Warren De La Salle Collegiate hazing scandal that abruptly ended the football team's season on the eve of the playoffs involves claims that sticks were used in a … © 2021 www.freep.com. "The hazing has deeper roots, and is more pervasive than originally thought," De La Salle said. "There wasn't any penetration, anything like that. Addis, a 1993 De La Salle graduate who also played football there, said he doesn't believe that hazing is deep-rooted at De La Salle, as administrators have claimed. Families of the De La Salle Collegiate football players were informed Thursday. When officials completed their investigation, they recommended charges against three students — an 18-year-old and two 16-year-olds. "If there's this pervasive thing going on, there would be video. "They have been singled out by this administration as the only ones involved in what President Knight has declared to be systemic, deep-rooted activity. Nov 1, 2019 - Highlights from the Week 9 game as West Bloomfield defeated Warren De La Salle on Friday, Oct. 25, 2019. More information Warren De La Salle football hazing claims: Players were violated with sticks sources say Giannone has kept quiet since the hazing allegations surfaced in late October, when the school abruptly ended the football team's season on the eve of playoffs. "John Knight has been able to control this narrative ... and he's doing it on the backs of my kids. April 28, 2020. by TFNLG. The Warren police department Friday requested assault charges be filed on three Warren De La Salle students allegedly involved in a football hazing. WARREN, Mich. (WXYZ) — Four of the seven De La Salle High School students involved in a hazing scandal will be arraigned Monday. … One more strike, and his channel could get booted for good. There was no penetration. When asked why the three accused students refused to implicate the 10 white students in the hazing scandal, Addis said: "They were appalled by the insinuation that they would know something, They know nothing," Addis said, adding his clients cooperated in an independent investigation launched by the school and denied pinning anyone to a floor and prodding them with a broom. "There was never a situation that we were able to determine that the victims were unclothed," Wendling told WWJ's Sandra McNeill. Charges dropped in Warren De La Salle broomstick hazing case (WWJ) Misdemeanor assault charges have been dropped against seven teens accused of hazing fellow members of the football team at … Warren — A fifth Warren De La Salle Collegiate High School student linked to an alleged locker room hazing incident was charged Tuesday with assault and battery. "They have flatly denied it to the independent investigator. The three minority football players were suspended in November on accusations of holding a younger player facedown on the locker room floor while one of them sexually taunted and prodded him with a broomstick. (WWJ) New details are emerging about what happened to end state champion Warren De La Salle's football season. That’s flatly wrong," said Addis, the lawyer who is representing the three suspended students and their families. Warren police conducted an investigation into the De La Salle football program after the team forfeited its Michigan high school playoff game due to allegations of hazing. De La Salle also declined comment on the students' lawsuit, citing policy not to comment on pending litigation. Neither is the alleged victim, they said, noting the teen boy has refused to talk and doesn't want charges brought. But the students "refused to be blackmailed into returning to school," the lawsuit claims. 1 program. School officials turned the case over to Warren Police, which has requested that assault and battery charges be filed against the three accused students. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. 'Vaccine angels' can only do so much: How can US make it easier to find COVID-19 vaccination appointment in minutes, not hours? "What makes this decision heart-wrenching," Knight said at the time, "is that we are aware of the fact that there are young men who are suffering and were not involved in this situation." WARREN — Hazing allegations that prompted officials at De La Salle Collegiate High School to end the football season on the eve of the state playoffs have resulted in an investigation by the Warren Police Department. Giannone came to De La Salle in 2016 after building Macomb Dakota into Macomb County’s No. Paul Addis, the attorney representing the plaintiffs, said the students just want to return to class. During the suspension, the administration sent the three accused athletes a list of 10 white football players, and asked them to confirm that they were all involved in hazing, the lawsuit claims. Tony Paul | The Detroit News | Nov. 5, 2019. Charges against seven Warren De La Salle Collegiate High School students accused in an October 2019 football hazing incident have been dropped, according to officials who believe the … WARREN, Mich. (FOX 2) - Four De La Salle football players were formally charged with misdemeanor assault and battery Monday. Like us on Facebook to see similar stories. The case was handled by the St. Clair County Prosecutor's Office due to a potential conflict of interest in Macomb County. The students claim they are innocent, that their graduation and college educations are at stake, and that the school has kept their families in the dark about their suspensions.