Support GBH. It did explain that additional details were not released because of the ages of those involved. Belcher, who with Callanan hired Andrews in 2021, remains, as does Duran, who supervises the football coaches and also is considered responsible for player safety. Following reports of the misconduct, Attorney General Maura Healey convened a conference of policymakers to address the abuses. 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. Callanan is leaving after the school year to become the director of academic achievement at Reading Memorial High School. ", Watch: Woburn High School accused of ignoring allegations of bullying. Crowley did not provide details of the 2019 allegation. It was dirty. Woburn officials on Saturday issued a statement confirming that a detective was assigned to an investigation involving a high school sports team. The three-year initiative is called Transforming Narratives of Gun Violence. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. Haverhill High School students who saw the video said the lewd acts shown on that video happened in the locker room of the school's football stadium, Trinity Stadium. Couceles says a student pulled down his sons pants and groped his genitals. The former Woburn player asserted the waiver was warranted in part because of the trauma he allegedly endured in Belchers program. But conflicting witness statements prevented Nelson from establishing who groped Coucelos, he stated. "I lost half of my friends. They're spirits of loved ones, Bill needs a kidney: Tyngsboro man searches for lifesaving donor, Lowell Catholic boys basketball team blows out Belchertown, No end in sight for case involving Dracut doc charged with patient's death, Toddler safe, car theft suspects apprehended, MVC girls basketball: Dracut's Ashlee Talbot named Div. The Middlesex County District Attorney's office says Woburn police notified them about the allegations and are investigating. He added, "I used to wake up and go out with half of my friends and now I'm just locked up in my room and finally going into a different school. 7 students face charges in alleged Woburn HS hazing attack April 14, 2022, 10:11 PM Seven Woburn High School students are facing charges after a 14-year-old racial slurs and engaging in homophobic hazing, Danvers High wrestling program was suspended. It's really not a bad school.". Moving forward, he said all of the districts coaches will be required to undertake extensive supplemental training. 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. It gets me emotional every time I have to talk about this.". The Couceles family reported the assault to police in October. The family is asking for accountability from the school. He instills hard work, with strict rules, respect for team members and respect for adults at all times. That week, the Woburn Police Department and Middlesex District Attorney announced they were investigating the incident. Andrews, a 2020 graduate of Endicott College, indicated his football experience was limited to Pop Warner and high school. A video of the incident allegedly shows members of the Haverhill High School football team hazing a teenage boy. He played two seasons for the Breakers after they moved to New Orleans and Portland. It was dirty. Editorial: Put sports hazing out of its misery, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Editorial: Sports betting rollout still ironing out kinks, Editorial: Give localities control over age to vote, Editorial: DNA sleuth tracks down suspects, kin, Seeing orbs in photos? "It's just so wrong how they're handling it. 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. 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. WE NEED TO DETERMINE HOW THIS HAPPENED AND WHAT WE CAN DO SO THIS NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN. ", The teen was joined by his parents Kevin and Jeanny and his lawyer Peter Hahn, who said the school failed Coucelos. Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. The student who grabbed him in the classroom, he said, was a former Woburn football player. Woburn School Superintendent Matthew Crowley issued a statement saying Coucelos was unjustly assaulted by other members of the football team. He wrote that Woburn is committed to providing enhanced training for athletic staff to ensure safe participation in athletics for all of our students., Crowley maintained that Woburns football coaches were aware of the prohibitions against bullying and hazing prior to the school year. We're live in Woburn. No one was against it, Hanley described the player as saying. A Woburn school psychologists evaluation states he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, causing him significant symptoms of anxiety and depression, due to the violence he endured. Police Investigating Woburn High School Team Incident - Woburn, MA - Officials did not specify the team, but WCVB reported Friday that the football team was I told Belcher hes an adult bully and shouldnt be coaching anybodys kids, the parent said. The matter has also been referred to the Haverhill Police Department for further investigation, according to the school officials' message. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Three years later, he became the head coach at Bedford High School. An inexperienced and ill-trained volunteer assistant football coach failed to inform his supervisors at Woburn Memorial High School after a 14-year-old freshman player, Johnathan Coucelos, reported last fall that he was jumped by teammates in a locker room, according to an independent investigators report obtained by the Globe. THE TEAM IS FORFEITING THE REST OF THE SEASON. "Parents deserve to know when they send their kids to play high school sports that their children will be safe. Then I saw it boil over into the locker room because it caused kids to literally hate each other and fight off the field.. The remaining coaches reported hearing nothing unusual from their offices near the locker room, despite the loud commotion, which numerous players recorded. HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL Bullying claims date back years in Woburn High School football program By Bob Hohler Globe Staff,Updated February 26, 2022, It took a big toll on him, very big toll.. His parents made that decision to withdraw him from the school because it was no longer safe for him to be there. "This is an active and ongoing investigation. This content is imported from Facebook. "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. 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 September 2021. Due to the ages of those involved, no additional information is available at this time.". 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.. The report said the freshman was then harassed for months both physically and through text messages, leading to him dropping out of school out of fear for his own safety. Belcher also serves as a substitute teacher in the school. Black News Hour presented by The Boston Globe. Woburn Police have assigned a detective to the case. (WHDH) - Seven Woburn High School students are facing assault and battery charges after they allegedly attacked a former classmate. I'm Peter Iliopoulos, WCVB News Center five, Okay. Hes suffering, and were trying to bring him back to normal, but its going to be very hard, said Kevin Coucelos, who with his wife, Jeanny, has four school-aged children. It was disgusting. It hurts him to this day. 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. display: none; "It was pretty nasty, making us look bad. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. It was very nasty. Many Woburn residents have expressed anger that Belcher permitted three of the alleged assailants, including the player facing a possible indecent assault charge, to remain on the football team through a prestigious Thanksgiving week game at Fenway Park. ""A freshman getting dragged down on the floor, them pulling down his pants and pulling down the other dude's pants and humping him in the face. REPORTER: THE FOOTBALL STADIUM AND LOCKER ROOM IS 10 MINUTES OFF-CAMPUS. The Middlesex County District Attorney's Office also said they were notified about the allegations by police and are participating in the investigation. Coucelos, fearing for his safety, has transferred to Cambridge Matignon School. Instead, Belcher instructed the traumatized player to return to the field for 35 more minutes of contact drills, his complaint states. It's really not a bad school. 2 Player of the Year, High school roundup: Vinny D'Urso, Lowell Catholic blank Haverhill, 1-0, MVC boys basketball: Tewksbury's Ryan Cuvier named Div. Callanan said in an e-mail, I can reaffirm that I acted appropriately throughout my handling of the familys claims and that much of the information provided to you to date, and which you have printed, is inaccurate.. Whats more, the boy and his parents allege, school authorities failed to correct the abusive nature of Belchers coaching after they reported the incident. The Middlesex County District Attorney's Office has said they have been notified of the incident by woburn police. In the most disturbing incident, the parent said, her son was a freshman when four older teammates attacked him in a school hallway after Belcher allegedly encouraged stronger players to toughen up those perceived as weaker. The Globe's most recent sports headlines delivered to your inbox every morning. He was harassed by a number of different students, said Hahn. 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. Thats a perversion of sports culture, which instead of building character, produces cowardly thugs. It's been a turbulent few years for the Woburn football program. OVERALL 7-4 0.64 Win %. It's not good for our school. At the conclusion of the Title IX investigation, a second investigation, in the form of an administrative review and policy analysis will be conducted by a second outside agency, a firm headed by former Massachusetts Secretary of Public Safety and Security Daniel Bennett, Former State Police Colonel Kerry Gilpin and Attorney John Benzan. The video appears to show three boys one of them wearing a Haverhill football shirt dragging another teen across the floor of a locker room. The MIAA rejected the request, saying it does not investigate internal complaints involving member schools. Multiple criminal complaints have been filed against several New Jersey high school students following two probes into allegations of rampant abuse and hazing. He was attacked in his Spanish class. Nelson concluded Coucelos was indeed assaulted and groped in the locker room. There should be a lot more charges," he said. Coaches are, by policy, considered responsible for safeguarding student-athletes against any form of abuse. Severe Weather Alerts The middlesex county district attorney's office Woburn school officials were aware of alleged bullying in the high school football program for several years before 14-year-old freshman Johnathan Coucelos was attacked by a swarm of teammates in the locker room last fall, according to court records and interviews with. "Haverhill Public Schools will not tolerate hazing, harassment or retaliation in any form," the message reads. CNN A high school near Pennsylvanias capital has canceled its upcoming football season over reports of hazing by members of the schools football team. 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