Westhill HS Hazing | Page 2 | Syracusefan.com
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Westhill HS Hazing

Even today I'm a bit shocked to see this stuff is still going on. Up here in Section X land there was a pretty nasty incident with Canton lax in the 90s and that pretty much put an end to any of that stuff since then.
 
This prank went way too far but people pretending kids didnt do just as dumb stuff back in the day are just fooling themselves.
I agree sure we all have done “DUMB” stuff but this isn’t just dumb or trying to get a laugh. This is trying to scare the s@&$ out of kids making them think their lives are in danger. Mean if they didn’t use a fake gun or whatever n throw them in trunk while trying to hide it was their own teammates i can see a little bit. But this is clearly crossing the lines. This isn’t bout making everyone get a laugh , this is just whole other level. Point of prank is to trick someone n then laugh bout it after words. Never is making someone think their lives in danger is funny. Also the 4 kids who ran n left their other friend to have this done is also messed up. Even if our number least try to save him.

I’m not saying they should go to jail for 5years or anything. But def need some consequence that portrays how serious of line they crossed. Specially in today’s world with all the evil crap goes on. Isn’t to far fetch for someone to truely believe some serious harm is bout to happen. I’ve done so messed up things n people think i’m little nuts. But i wouldn’t have even plan or thought of this.
 
This prank went way too far but people pretending kids didnt do just as dumb stuff back in the day are just fooling themselves.
If you listen to Fitzpatrick tell the story below, I don’t think you’d be talking like it’s a case of kids just being kids. This was done to terrorize these younger teammates and make them fear they were going to be killed. These kids videotaped it too - so it’s not conjecture nor a case of differing stories on what occurred either.

 
Is it me, or is stuff like hazing ( not this) very much a lacrosse thing?
I think so. When I was in college our lacrosse did some crazy stuff to their Freshman. Worse I got in on the baseball team was lugging around equipment or running a few errands for the seniors.
 
several people have commented on how any hazing should be light, etc.. kids are dumb. because they're kids and don't have perspective, experience and foresight. ANY hazing is dumb. it creates the exact wrong culture, and an entitled mindset. any coach or pledge coordinator that enables it is an idiot.

everyone is an equal is the way. find your hierarchy another way. my seniors, stars, goal scorers get an equal if not more share of the lifting. to be humble and to lead. it's corny, but the light stuff turns to this type of thing, even if rarely to this degree. if they're not guided to responsibility and accountability and humility, they'll choose the opposite and it can very easily go off the rails. and the culture can suck regardless. earn stripes on the field. we will continue to see these stories.
 
If you listen to Fitzpatrick tell the story below, I don’t think you’d be talking like it’s a case of kids just being kids. This was done to terrorize these younger teammates and make them fear they were going to be killed. These kids videotaped it too - so it’s not conjecture nor a case of differing stories on what occurred either.


Honestly, I don’t find Fitzpatrick trustworthy and never have.
 
The part about the knife and gun (whether it's completely accurate or not) is extraordinarily stupid and dangerous. It's so incredibly easy for things to get out of hand and someone to get seriously hurt.

Otherwise, if this was 40 years ago, I don't think people would think this was a big deal at all.
 
This prank went way too far but people pretending kids didnt do just as dumb stuff back in the day are just fooling themselves.
Exactly. Thank the lord no one had a video camera around back in the day. Some board members acting holier than thou. They ’ed up. They will pay a huge price. Hopefully they learn from it and more importantly hopefully the kids that were hazed can move on.
 
As a Westhill Alum this saddens me. Played on the football team and other than carrying the older players pads hazing wasn't a thing...
This really isn't hazing this is just illegal brain dead stupidity...
Also a Westhill alum and really sad to see this on CNN.com just now. The extent of "hazing" in my days was taking underclassmen to field parties to get drunk and high, have laughs, and run from the cops when they showed up. Think Dazed & Confused. Smartphones and social media have ruined kids.
 
when I played football at Alfred University we had a hazing incident in 1998 that made national news. Freshman were tied up and forced to drink alcohol. I remember arriving late to the party and being the only sober one. I was driving kids home and getting them out of there because it was such a mess. It was pretty stupid and scary. All it takes is a few bad apples that can influence the others. Takes strong kids to say this isn’t cool. This type of party had gone on for years and was taken way too far. The guys who held the party got expelled and were in some serious legal trouble.
 
I'm going back to the late 90's/early 2000's since I'm old now but the hazing I remember in high school was carrying all the water to/from practices and games and in college some of the senior's gave all us freshman/new players bad haircuts that we had to rock at a house party one night at the beginning of the season. I never understood the mindset of hazing to the point that you would try to hurt or break other teammates mentally.
 
Fellow Westhill alum who is just stewing about all this. Hope the kid is ok more than anything and think they need to dismiss the new HC as collateral damage even if he literally had zero to do with specifics.

My out-of-state, LAX-playing kid sees it in the news and texts you “what’s up with your HS?” Sigh.
 
At its essence, this type of hazing is about humiliating and denigrating someone who is in a position of lower power than you. It’s basically beating up on someone weaker. I’ve never understood the gratification that came with that.

There are likely many who go along with it out of fear of being ostracized if they don’t, not because they themselves get a kick out of it. But there are many who truly get off on the humiliation aspect and take great joy in that . Those people are excrement and will go on to raise excrement kids.
 
Fellow Westhill alum who is just stewing about all this. Hope the kid is ok more than anything and think they need to dismiss the new HC as collateral damage even if he literally had zero to do with specifics.

My out-of-state, LAX-playing kid sees it in the news and texts you “what’s up with your HS?” Sigh.
I’m not sure I follow firing a coach, who is a standup guy, for not having anything to do with teenagers being dumb?
 
This story is now in the top stories area on ESPN.com.


I find Fitzpatrick's 48-hour thing to be amateur hour. Out of the 11 kids, it's an absolute guarantee that a couple of them were the sadistic ring leaders (I know who it was, and who the father is), and the rest were probably peer pressured to go along with it.

Regardless of when they turn themselves in, the ring leaders should be tried as adults and spend time in state prison. The others should have to do a ton of community service.
 
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This story is now in the top stories area on ESPN.com.


I find Fitzpatrick's 48-hour thing to be amateur hour. Out of the 11 kids, it's an absolute guarantee that a couple of them were the sadistic ring leaders (I know who it was, and who the father is), and the rest were probably peer pressured to go along with it.

Regardless of when they turn themselves in, the ring leaders should be tried as adults and spend time in state prison. The others should have to do a ton of community service.
And made the ABC Evening News.
 

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