On the night of Nov. 9, a girls' district championship soccer game took place between Needham and Brockton high schools. Brockton beat Needham 7−1, but this was largely attributable to the fact that a significant portion of the Needham girls' soccer team was not allowed to play in the game. Needham High, located in Needham, Mass., suspended five players after they got word of the team partaking in a hazing ritual. The team's coach was also put on administrative leave, as he apparently knew of the incident but did not immediately report it.
In an initiation ritual on Oct. 29, some members of the Needham Rockets allegedly tied some of their new members to dog leashes, occasionally throwing pies in their faces as they crawled around the soccer field blindfolded. Once the school learned of the hazing incident, it had no choice but to suspend the players involved on the eve of the big game, much to the dismay of their parents.
The parents of the suspended girls were outraged by the administration's decision, arguing that the decision violated school policy. Parents over the weekend first tried to meet with Needham High School Principal Jonathan Pizzi before the championship game to discuss the issue, but when told that he was unavailable to meet, they decided to take their case to court.
Todd D. White, a lawyer and a father of one of the soccer players, filed a request for an injunction to the Norfolk Superior Court, claiming that the school had violated protocol by suspending the players because they had not first issued a warning to the girls, as is outlined in the school's handbook.
Judge Barbara A. Dortch−Okara rejected the request for an injunction, saying that since it was a privilege to participate on the team, the girls were in no way deprived of their due process.
Although hazing is reprehensible and also explicitly banned in Needham High's rules, the fact that the parents of the players actually tried to get their daughters off the hook is worse.
While every sports team is entitled to their traditions, they are not entitled to humiliate players in front of their teammates. Hazing is a serious issue, especially when it is carried out against young teenagers. If the practice of hazing is ever going to stop, it needs to be nipped in the bud by both parents and educators. The actions of Needham High administrator clearly sent a signal that hazing is an unacceptable practice — the parents of the suspended soccer players should have stood with the school in showing that engaging in behavior like hazing has consequences, rather than try to help their children skirt those consequences. Surely teaching their children an important lesson on how to treat others was more important than winning a high school soccer game.
