Danvers high school hockey hazing allegations

A young man coming forward says town leaders are trying to erase any trace of allegations of hazing, sexual assault and racism, withholding what really happened from parents and residents.

NEWSCENTER 5 AT 6 SRTSTA RIGHTNOW ALLEGATIONS OF HAZING SEXUALASSAULT AND RACISM INVOLVING ANORTH SHORE HIGH SCHOOL HOCKEYTEAM AND A YOUNG MAN COMINGFORWARD SAYS TOWN LEARSDE ARETRYING TO ERASE ANY TRACE OF ITWITHHOLDING WHAT REALLY HAPPENEDFROM PARENT.AND RESIDENTS.HEOLL EVERYBODY MARIA STEPHANOS,AND I’M ED HARDING AND TONIGHTFIVE INVESTIGATES AS A WINDOWINTO CONTROVERSY THROUGH THEEYES OF SOMEONE WHO SAYS HESOUGHT ALL FIRSTHAND OUR KARENEDISON JOINS US RIGHT NOW WITHTHOSE DETAILS AND WE DO WANT TOWARN YOU THEY ARE DISTURBINGKAREN AND THESE ARE THE REPORTSOBTAINED BY FIVE INVESTIGATESREASLEED WITH MOST OF THESUBSTANCE OF THE ALLEG.KITCHENS AND THE FINDISNG OFPOLICE AND SCHOOL OFFICIALSBLACKED OUT THE HOCKEY PLAYER.YOU’REBO AUT TO HEAR FROM WASINTERVIEWED FOR ALL OF THESEINVESTIGATIONS AND SS,AY HE’SSTILL WAITING FORACCOUNTABILITY.AND WHENOU Y FIRST WALKED IN ANDSAW THIS GOING ON WHAT WENTTHROUGH YOUR MIND, I WAS VERYSCARED.VERY UNCOMFORTABLE AND I WTEDANTO LEAVE VERY QUICKLY.YOU’RE HEARING FROM A HOCKEYPLAYER FROM DANRSVE.HE SAT DOWN WITH FIVEINVESTIGATES UNDER THE CONDITIONTHAT WE WOULD NOT IDENTIFY HIMBUT PLACED NO LIMITS ON WHAT HEWOULD REVEAL ABOUT WHAT HAPPENEDINHE T DANVERS HIGH SCHOOLHOCKEY LOCKER ROOM.EVER ASSAULTED WHAT HAPPENED?OH.WHICH DAY OF THE WEEK?HE’S TALKING ABOUT RITUALS.HE SAYS TOOK PLACE INSIDEHE THOCKEY TEAM’S LOCKER ROOMRITUALS THAT WEER EXPLICITLYHOMOPHOBIC STARKLY RACISTSOMETISME VIOLENT AND ALWSAYFEATURED ABUSIVE YOUNG PLAYERSBY UPPERCLASSMEN.HE SAYS TUEAYSD WAS GAY TUESDAYWHEN THE LIGHTS WERE TURNED OFFIN THE LOCKER ROOM.SO EVERYONEAD H THEIR CLOTHESOFF.YES.AND WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION TOINBEG IN THERE?TERRIFIED VERY MUCH.SO NOT WHAT I EXPECTED WNHE ISIGNED UP TO PLAY FOR THE TEAM.WAS THERE ACTUALLY TOUCHG OFINGENITALS.YES, THERE WAS INTENTIONALLY IMEAN AS INTENTIONAL AS CANHAENPP WITH THE LIGHTS OFF.WHY WAS IT CALLED GAY TUESDAY?THE MAIN CONCEPT AS THEY WEREMOCKING GAY PEOPLE AND THENCALLED HARD-R FRIDAYS PLAYERSWHO REFUSE TO SAY THE N-WDORWITH A HARD R WERE PHYSICALLYBEATEN SOMETIMES WITH A RED SEXTOY ON FRIDAY.I WOULD REFUSE TO SAY AND GETHELD DOWN BY MULTIPLE OF MYFRIENDS AND BEING AND THEN I’DWALK AROUNDIT WH SHAME BEINGHECKLED FOR THE REST OF THENIGHT SKATING AROUNDIT WH THEOUTLINE OF A -- ON MY FACE THEREWERE MOMENTS WHERE I SAW OTHERPEOPLE.GET BEAT AND DID NOT MOVE.I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING AND HELPTHEM.BECAUSE I WAS SO SCARED OF WHATIT WOULD BE LIKE FOR IT TOHAPPEN TO ME.AGAIN.HE SAYS THE CULTURE OF BULLYINGTRANSFORMED HIS TEAMMATE WHOREALIZED IF THEY FOLLOWED THEORDERS THE BEATING WOULD STOPONCE HE SAYS AN ASSISTANT COACHWALKED IN ON ONE OF THE TEAM’SRITUALS.HE TURNED THE LIGHTS ON SOEVERYONE NAKED ONE OF THECAPTAINS IN THE MIDDLE OF THEROOM HE ASKED HIM.WHAT’S GOING ON?AND THE THE PLAYER SAID COACHIT’S GAY TUESDAY AND COACHES.IDON’T WANT TO KNOW HE PAIRSTHE LIGHTS BACKFF O AND HELEAVES CLOSE TO THE DOOR.HE WAS BY SCHOOL AND POLICEOFFICIALSS A WELL AS ANINDEPENDENT INVESTIGARTO HIREDBY THE TOWN STATEMESNT THAT WEREWITNESSED BY OTHER ADUSLT THREESEPARATE INVESTIGATIONSNTO IHAZING BULLYING HOMOPHOBIA ANDRACISM ALMOST ENTELYIR BLACKEDOUT AND TREHEFORE UNREADABLE ANDUSELESS TO THE PUBLIC.ASTONISHING THAT THEY FELT THATTHE BEST OPTIOWAN S TO JUST TRYTO COVERED UP AND IT’LL GO AWAY.BUT IT WON’T GO AWAY ACCORDINGTON A UNREDACTED PORTION OFHE TPOLICE REPORT POLICE FOUND NOEVIDENCE OF CRIMINAL MISCONDUCTTHE HEAD HOCKEY COACH WHO WASALSO THE SCHOOL RESOUERC POLICEOFFICER STEVE BALDASSARI WASPLACED ON LEAVE IN JANUARY OF2021 THEN REINSTATED INFEBRUARY.HE LATER RESIGNED IN JULY.HE AND THE ASSISTANT COACHESDENIED ANY KNOWLEDGE OFMISCONDUCT TO INVESTIGATORSBALDASSARI DIDOT N TURN OUR CALLTHE INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATORCONCLUDED QUOTE.THEER WAS A CULTURE OF BULLYINGAND MISCONDUCT ON THE TEAM, BUTALL DESCRIPTIONF O THATMISCONDUCT WAS REDACTED THEDANVERS SCHOOL.SUPERINTENDENT SAYS THE SCHOOLDEPARTMENT ADDRESSED PERSONNELAND STUDENT DISCIPLINE ANDIMPLEMENTED TRAINING BUT THETOWN STILL REFUSES TO TELL THECOMMUNITY THE DETAILS OF THEALLEGATION.I FEEL LEIK PEOPLE WHO SHOULD BEACCOUNTAEBL AUDIT CAMPBELL,THAT’S NOT THE KIDS THIS YNGOUMAN DOESN’T BLAME THE PLAYERS.HE ACTUALLY SAYS HE SEES THEM ASVICTIMS.THE ADUSLT ARE THE PEOPLE WHOHAVE BEEN GIVING GIVENHE T POWERTHEY’REHE T ONES WHO WERE PAIDTO MONITOR THIS TYPE OF THING.THEIR WHOLE JOB IS MAKE SURETHAT THESE KIDSCT A A CERTAINWAY AND THEY THEY REALLY DROPTHE BALL.KNOW AFTER HIS POLICE INTERVIEWTHAT PLAYER SAYS THE SAMEOFFICER RETURDNE TO HIS HOMEUNANNOUNCED AND ASKED IF HEWAEDNT TO FILE CRIMINAL CHARGES.HE TOLD HIM NO SINCE HE SAW THEPLAYERS AS THE VICTIMS