Charges Dropped In Football Hazing Scandal At Warren De La Salle
WARREN, MI (AP) — Misdemeanor assault charges have been dropped against seven teens who were accused of hazing fellow members of the football team at an all-boys school in suburban Detroit, a prosecutor said.
The accused, who attended De La Salle Collegiate in Warren, met several conditions, including participation in an anti-bullying program and writing apology letters to victims, prosecutor Mike Wendling told WDIV-TV.
In 2019, Warren police investigated allegations that De La Salle players were hazed with broomsticks by other players. The school acknowledged that some type of hazing occurred and took the extraordinary step of ending the team’s season a year ago by forfeiting a playoff game.
Bill Dwyer, the Warren police commissioner whose department investigated the case, said he doesn’t object to dropping the charges.
“They have been on probation without any problems, and I think the majority have graduated from high school and are now attending college,” Dwyer said. “We weren’t out to destroy the lives of any young men but had a duty to investigate and report the matter because it was a crime.”
Mike Giannone left the team as coach, and De La Salle president John Knight also departed.