Earlier this month three 17-year-old Conestoga High School football players – including the team captain – were accused of participating in an attack of a freshman last fall that included the 14-year-old being raped with a broomstick.
The October attack was part of a hazing ritual tradition, inside the locker room, known as ‘No Gay Thursday.’
After the charges were disclosed, longtime football coach John Vogan was suspended pending an investigation by the Tredyffrin/Easttown School District. The district is located outside of Philadelphia, approximately a 40 minute drive.
This past week, the district announced Vogan’s resignation. In addition, the entire football staff, varsity and junior varsity, has been suspended from all coaching, in all sports, until the upcoming fall season.
According to ABC 6 News, district officials sent a letter home announcing Vogan’s departure and the most recent results of its investigation.
‘Hazing activities occurred with some members of the football team over the past several years, including back slapping, horseplay, and obscene behaviors targeted toward underclassmen,’ the letter explained.
‘These activities sometimes occurred under the label of “No Gay Thursday,”‘ the letter continued. ‘No interviews or other evidence indicated that any adult had knowledge of these activities. The locker rooms had an insufficient adult presence throughout the football season, creating an environment where hazing activities could occur.’
District officials did note while no LGBT students were the targets of the hazing, ‘the practice itself is an affront to us all.’
The 17-year-olds have been charged with assault, unlawful restraint, making terroristic threats, and related offenses. They are not being charged with a sex crime and cannot be charged with hazing because Pennsylvania state law only covers colleges.
The victim was 5-foot-7 and weighed about 160 pounds at the time of the attack. He was one of the younger players ordered to strip to their underwear and clean the locker room. He did not tell his father about the assault until recently and has since left the school.
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