Deseret News | 3 East High football players arrested, kicked off team

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3 East High football players arrested, kicked off team

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tr | 1:36 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

I know this is pretty nasty stuff, but kick them off the team???
C'mon, that's a little harsh!

Cheryl | 1:39 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

Silly civilians. You can't punish athletes. It could affect their careers.

Re Anonymous | 1:42 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

Why would you ask if they are LDS?

Comments continue below

Trans fat | 1:45 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

What about that kid they let transfer from lone peak? he gets to play like tonight...can these kis do that?

chimp my ride | 1:51 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

these kids need to give up they're liberal ways.This is just not good.

chimp my ride | 1:52 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

Liberalism is destroying the very fabric of american so ciety.

Sportsman | 2:01 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

Bullykilla, your "typical jock behavior" comment is as uninformed as it is idiotic.

Don't try and sell us that you've "...quit all participation and support of any professional sport..." You never played any sport and you know it!

Go back to playing backgammon. Your insipid comments have no place here.

Anonymous | 2:03 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

Some people call it hazing I would call it rape. Im with Jamie.

NameWithHeld | 2:05 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

This has rape, plain and simple. Hazing is between upper classman and under classmen. These were all sophmore and they knew what they wanted, they stalked out there victims are attacked them. The stdents, coaches, school district and police all did the right thing. The only thing wrong eith this was some idiot called it hazing.
Cambridge Dictionary of American English:
haze (TREAT BADLY) verb [T]
to force (people new to a group, esp. a college social group or sports team) to take part in activities that are very embarrassing and sometimes harmful

Voice of Reason | 2:12 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

Being a man, Hazing never helped anyone do anything. Push-ups may make you a man, pushing yourself to your physical limits may make you a man, hazing only shows the hazers as cowards and bullies.

Those who don't mind "being hazed, as JJ and Tom in Texas suggest, are victims of pathological psychological forces -- the technical term is the "Stockholm Syndrome" (Look it up.).

Someone who defends hazing is sick or a good ol' idiot.

Even the kind of hazing such as "making them carry your equipment to the bus" is stupid, non-productive, and is the virus that grows and mutates into conduct such as this. Mike Vick was only "hazing" those dogs.

Voice of Reason | 2:14 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

As bad as this incident is, I believe hazing is becoming less and less acceptable, and less tolerated. It will never be extinct as long as people are people, but nowadays it is dealt with more frequently and harshly, thus keeping it at bay. In contrast to NYker, I believe that ANY tolerance of such acts cultivates a mentality that mutates and grows into bigger problems in the wider society. The fundamental basis of the criminal mentality is "every person for themselves," and "don't rat." Hazing and toleration of it feeds into both of those.

Each incident can and should be dealt with according to the severity of the incident. My freshman coach dealt with a very, very minor incident by making us ALL run 5 miles of stair laps. That hammered the message home, and no one in my class ever attempted or tolerated hazing again. In this case, appropriate steps have been taken. What WOULDN'T be appropriate is punishing those who neither participated or witnessed by cancelling the season. The right lesson was taught by punishing the guilty, celebrating the person who brought it to light, and affirming the victims.

Early Identification | 2:16 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

One of the best things to come out of this is these three perps have been identified early in their deviant careers

Chimp this | 2:16 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

chimp my ride,

This incident occurred in the most conservative state in the union. Your statement does not really deserve any acknowledgement, but its absurdity has prompted me to action.

mm | 2:27 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

What has our society come to? Easy to see why these things happen when morals mean nothing to many of our countrymen, educators and politicians. There is such a decay in standards that it has become "anything goes". Shame on America.

Jeremy Shalom | 2:32 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

i don't think that it was very nice of those boys. but i think they might have just been fooling around. i think if they really wanted to rape, at least one of the 3 incidents would have gone to completion. one boy successfully fighting off multiple attackers everytime? i think the assailants were just trying to humiliate their victim, but not actually penetrate. still a horrific act that deserves to be punished. but i do believe this incident resembles "hazing" more so than true "rape".

Unbelievable | 2:33 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

These "boys" should be kicked out of school for life. After serving whatever time they do, they should never be allowed to hang out with anyone younger than 18, ever.
These are people shaped animals and it is about time we stand up and demand that we not be forced to tolerate their presence. They gave up being kids when they started doing these things, let them pay their dues and then go get a job. I am sure they can learn a trade in jail.

Anonymous | 2:36 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

I don't think that is considered hazing - isn't hazing an organized activity carried out by upperclassmen? These were 15 year olds. Sick sick sick.

Dave in Scottsdale | 2:39 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

This was attempted on me when I was a sophomore in high school. Luckily, I landed a good left uppercut on one the three trying to rape me ("just for fun"). Knocked the S.O.B. out cold and the other two ran out of the locker room.

These kids need to be punished to the full extent of the law.

Jon Baxter | 2:54 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

Come on, boys will be boys.
They have the pro sports stars' examples to prove they can do pretty much whatever they want with minimal consequences.

Tia | 3:10 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

I went to East, and this is reprehensible. This never happened while I attended.

And kiddies who are huge fans of High School Musical think they all sing and dance there? I wish they did, it's nicer than what happens in real life in high schools in America.

What?!?! | 3:20 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

HAZING?!?! Who in their right mind would call this "hazing"?!

Forcing someone down, holding them down, and sodomizing them is CRIMINAL SEXUAL ASSAULT. It's rape.

Let's call it what it is, not play word games like Rush Limbaugh and call it fun school boy pranks, routine hazing, or "boys will be boys" like he did with the torture at Abu Ghraib.

TW | 3:21 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

If they are so interested in sodomy, put them in prison for a year

Darrell | 3:27 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

When did forcible rape become an acceptable form of male bonding? I don't recall anyone in my groups throughout Life, be it in school or the military or even in the work place ever suggesting we rape the new guy or girl to see how they would react. This trend towards the violent and perverse among todays youth frightens me. Where did these kids get the idea that this was something they would get away with? A few years ago on long island football players sodomized a kid during training camp and the parents tried to blow it off as a childish prank. Something in our society is truly twisted.

Jessie | 3:32 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

So you are saying that men regularly rape each other and that is nothing new, just good old horseplay and hazing. My gosh, I am glad to not be a boy. Rape is absolutely unacceptable behavior at any age.

MD | 3:57 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

I don't know why "hazing" is attached to this. It's not an organized petty harrassment by the veteran players - it's rape pure and simple. they took advantage of thier victim's vulnerability. I suppose if these kids were straight, the victims would have been girls - sexual orientation is not the issue. It's not only female rape victims that are scared to report.

Whether the the coach should have known or seen. Give them the benefit of doubt. They found out about it, then took the time to verify that there were grounds to call in the authorities before they potentially ruined someone's life with false charges. then they called the cops.

My concern is this: why would any players feel they were safe from being discovered doing this on school grounds? Coaches should be walking through the locker rooms unpredictably (MWA -management by walking around) just so the perps would know there is a serious risk of being caught. Unsupervised teenagers can get up to lots of things.

THIS WAS NOT SO BAD! | 3:57 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

After watching CNN's coverage of the "Jena Six" story, I have been enlightened. Stomping someone after he's lost consciousness or raping another male is no crime. Now, if those boys had hung a noose in a tree, they should be put to death! When is America going to wake up. After all, if you had to choose, wouldn't you rather be raped or stomped by 6 guys rather than endure the sight of a piece of rope left by a 16 year old?

Jeff in Texas | 4:04 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

"Those who don't mind "being hazed, as JJ and Tom in Texas suggest, are victims of pathological psychological forces -- the technical term is the "Stockholm Syndrome" (Look it up.).

Someone who defends hazing is sick or a good ol' idiot."

JJ and Tom were not saying that this, or any other violent act, is hazing. They are saying that sometimes people do pranks for an "initiation" that does no harm. The example give of pushing a penny across the floor with your nose is a good one. There is no harm done; it is just something "to do".

These cases were criminal sexual assaults, plain and simple.

Linden Groves | 4:10 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

So the coach let them know that their behavior was "unacceptable." A five year old saying a four letter word is "unacceptable." These boys have allegedly engaged in conduct that is hateful, immoral and criminal and should be punished accordingly if guilty. Rape is rape. Minimizing such conduct does no one any good. It's just "unacceptable" to do so.

Buddy | 4:18 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

Deroy (above) is right when he says to: " discontinue football and all other sports. -do all classes via cable TV".

High school is a waste of time for the vast percentage of kids. There are a few who can get some good, but that's often negated by being exposed to uncivilized animals. We are reaping what we've sown and we've gotten a pervered,collectivist society.

j teew | 4:19 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

In Boulder Colorado this would be considered American History 101. They are so cool in Boulder and free to do whatever they like.

Izz the kid | 4:37 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

This is disgusting. i mean these poor kids are being hurt because of some idiot kids. thank god for coaches like Whitehead.

Dan | 4:46 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

Chimp, how is this political in anyway? It's not. This is a story about sexual assault, aka an act that violated the law. Too much time on drudgereport has made you incapable of separating politics from the situation. This type of behavior is intolerable no matter which political side you tend to lean towards. That is why it is against the law. Your rhetoric lacks the application of something I like to call "Common Sense".

Quit Apologizing for the Coach | 4:48 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

Coach Whitehead is responsible for his team and their actions.

This started September 3rd and I am sure that is when the rumors started flying around school. I have worked in a large High School as a teacher and ran a varsity girls basketball program out of state for years. You follow up the rumors and make sure it doesn't happen.

If someone is raping kids, you call the police. If anyone had heard about this at 10:00 and waited until the next day to report it, they should not be responsible for the safety of students. The victims might have retaliated, hurt themselves, hurt others, etc.

Coach Whitehead has all of the culpability until it is reported, and all of the coaches, athletic directors and fans vouching for his character and what he's going through mean nothing if something would have happened that night between when he knew and when he reported it. It is the Law.

I sincerely hope that when the truth comes out coach Whitehead is cleared, but I would quit apologizing for the man until this happens. If the students safety were put in jeopardy, he should be held accountable.

FB Fan | 5:02 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

I agree with a poster, this team should have its season cancelled now! While this felony did occur and it did involve only sophmores, there is no way to make light of this. These boys, by wearing the East uniform, are representatives of the entire school and the whole football program. I think that a school up north was forced to give up a season a few years ago for a less severe incident.

The coaches at this school should be in area and be a presence in and out of the lockerroom (if I understand right that this happened at the school)so that this can't happen. So as much as you want to applaude the East coach, there is still some blame that he must face. I am glad that these vagrants were removed from the team, and that it was reported, but it shouldn't have happened a first time and definatly not a second or third.

It is sick to think that various youths were but throught this and I hope and pray that they can put this in the past and move on with their lives.

Richard | 5:08 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

It would at least be interesting to know the ethnic backgrounds of the perpetrators and the victims?

KCFWB&G | 5:14 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

This crap happened to me at summer camp 38 years ago.

I still remember that incident with outrage and disgust. My counselor just laughed about it. I hate them all for it, and have NOT forgiven them.

mikey | 5:24 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

Ummm. . first off, I have absolutely no interest in the "ethnic backgrounds" of the perpetrators. Secondly, you who think this was about sex are ignorant of the psychology of rape (and this WAS attempted rape). It's not about sex, homo- or hetero-. It's about power and self-loathing. It's a more violent expression of the syndrome we see in those blowhard conservatives who are so repressed that they can be rabidly anti-homosexual out of one side of their mouths while inserting naughty no-nos into the other. Does the name Larry Craig ring a bell? And not just him. There's a pretty big list ya know. ;)

Cary | 5:26 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

After you completely remove God from every school in the land, what do you have left? It looks like the answer is demons. Imagine going to school every day and having to ward off attacks from incubi and succubi and other red-eyed fiends, and who ya gonna call?

James | 5:37 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

I would be interested to know who raised these young men to think that this was acceptable in any enviroment. How about a little personel accountability my the parents. These are the actions of a horrible adult and these "juvenile's" need to be treated as such.

Drudge reader | 5:57 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

Richard, Why do you want to know the ethnic background of the kids? Whats up with that?

Mike | 6:02 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

The sexual assault speaks for itself. This was a crime and, so far, has been handled appropriately. The season should not be canceled and anyone, regardless of "status" who commits a crime should be held accountable by the school and civil authorities. In this day and age of school coverups, obfuscations, and lies, it's refreshing to actually see a school take the proper action. Way to go East High.

Jackson | 6:05 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

This is what happens when you participate in such a barbaric sport. I say ban this sport as it will only lead to more violence.

Diogenes | 6:20 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

Inhabitants of this second-rate society are capable of just about anything disgusting. Way to go, Baby Boomers. You sure have made a difference; even your grandchildren are perverted, wanton and, basically, sociopathic. Were these "kids" LDS, by the way? I would seriously doubt it.

GreatLakeState | 6:30 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

Ethnicity is relevant. Black and brown sexual violence on white is rampant - just check the FBI stats. If this is an integrated school, that is one of the consequences.

Dave | 6:29 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

I think many of us feared that this sort of thing might occur following the establishment of the Gay/Lesbian Alliance at East High School. From the viewpoint of this school-approved club, the only thing wrong with this behavior was the force involved. I hate to say "We told you so?"

Mama Right | 6:36 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

SICK!

The RAPISTS should rot in JAIL!

Abogadospo | 6:37 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

This behavior went on for over two months and the coaches didn't know about it? Ignorant? No it sounds more like negligence if it were my son I'd file a civil lawsuit against the defendants, the coaches and the school.
The coaches waited to notify the school administration and then everybody started to circle the wagons,
Depose the three kids and ask them who else knew what was going on.
Strange question to a victim of sexual assualt about returning to practice, I would think the administrator would offer to get him some counseling.
Whatever it takes to raise upstanding young men, I guess.

Philip | 6:38 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

The schools have kicked out God and allowed Satan to enter. That's why it happens.

Re:Mike | 6:44 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

The school took proper action?

What are you people thinking?

If you saw a rape or any crime in your yard, would you wait until the next day to report it?

Until the coach explains why he waited to report the crimes until the next day, this is not acceptable.

This happend to two students between August 30th and September 11th. I find it hard to believe that the victims told no one, that rumors did not get out. Students gossip and create drama over the simplest things, yet this slips past everyone at the school for two weeks. This happened on school property.

Why are people not outraged? Our we so blinded by sports and glory that we are willing to protect the adults to whom we trust our children at the expense of their safety.

You applaud and find these actions "refreshing". I find the lack of action apalling. The lack of a moral compass by so many of the "posters" on this blog sickens me. Don't any of you have children that you love and want protected from predators? I hope someone finds the courage to hold the adults responsible.

Ken | 6:48 p.m. Sept. 28, 2007

Maybe they should change thier logo to East High Rainbow Warriors!

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