Black News Hour presented by The Boston Globe. Coaches are, by policy, considered responsible for safeguarding student-athletes against any form of abuse. Woburn officials issue statement about investigation involving football team. Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). April 14, 2022, 10:11 p.m. "This is an active and ongoing investigation. Thats a perversion of sports culture, which instead of building character, produces cowardly thugs. Former Woburn High School football player Johnathan Coucelos said he was assaulted and bullied by teammates in the locker room, and the school did nothing to protect him. We are strictly responding to how the integrity of the team, the leadership of the athletic department and football program is unfairly under attack in the community., They stated, Head Coach Jack Belcher has always given us nothing short of his undivided attention and passion for his job as our coach and leader. Together, we can create a more connected and informed world. It did explain that additional details were not released because of the ages of those involved. Woburn police are seeking assault charges in Lowell Juvenile Court against seven Woburn students, including five football players, for the alleged locker room attack and two subsequent incidents in which Johnathan was the alleged victim. Now there was a heavy police presence here at the game, but no issues here tonight. Woburn Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Matthew Crowley sent a letter to the community on Tuesday to provide an update on the "troubling situation involving the WMHS athletics program that has been covered in the news recently. 2023 by KYMA / NPG of Yuma-El Centro Broadcasting. I JUST THINK ITS AWFUL. The investigation found Coucelos also was assaulted in his Spanish classroom by a former football player who accused him of snitching and was punched in a school bathroom by a student who chided him for not defending himself more forcefully during the locker room assault. Hearing In Woburn Football Assault Case Postponed The probable cause hearing initially scheduled for Tuesday will not take place until March, the attorney for the He is a good person that cares tremendously for us.. 2 Player of Year, Two men arrested on firearms, drug trafficking charges in Tewksbury, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot concedes defeat, Southern California home sales fall to all-time low, Denver just got a direct flight to this Caribbean island known for music history and vegetarian cooking, NYC Mayor Adams dismisses need to separate church and state, declares himself a servant of God, Zero-calorie sweetener linked to heart attack and stroke, study finds. A hearing is scheduled before the Supreme Judicial Court in April on the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Associations appeal of a lower court injunction that permitted the former Woburn player to compete this year for another MIAA schools football and basketball teams after the MIAA denied his waiver request for a fifth year of eligibility. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. The Globe's most recent sports headlines delivered to your inbox every morning. It gets me emotional every time I have to talk about this.". Johnathan Coucelos, with his family: from left, mother, Jeanny, brother Jaxon, Johnathan, sister, Karmen, brother Jacob, and father, Kevin. Morning Weather Hanley found the team assault was planned, organized, and executed by a substantial number of sophomore players. One player said he punched Coucelos multiple times after the sophomores like 30 kids decided to beat up Johnathan.. The Coucelos family accused school officials of putting the football teams interests ahead of student safety with their disciplinary measures. I wasnt there to protect my son," Couceles shared. Woburn police and the Middlesex District Attorneys office are now investigating. "I fully support the superintendents actions in cancelling the Thanksgiving game, suspending those involved and conducting a full investigation. Woburn officials on Saturday issued a statement confirming that a detective was assigned to an investigation involving a high school sports team. Couceles says a student pulled down his sons pants and groped his genitals. Nelson concluded Coucelos was indeed assaulted and groped in the locker room. #ada-button-frame { "Very heartbroken.. The report said the freshman was then harassed for months both physically and through text messages, leading to him dropping out of school out of fear for his own safety. A video of the incident allegedly shows members of the Haverhill High School football team hazing a teenage boy. With your support, GBH will continue to innovate, inspire and connect through reporting you value that meets todays moments. Coucelos reported the violent incidents to coaches and the police who did not take enough action. Due to the ages of those involved, no additional information is available at this time.". It was very nasty," said student Felix Molina.The Haverhill High School football stadium and locker room are located approximately 10 minutes off campus.Police are investigating and members of the teams coaching staff have been placed on administrative leave.Haverhill Mayor James Fiorentini said Thursday that he supported hiring an outside firm to conduct the investigation. Three years later, he became the head coach at Bedford High School. The video appears to show three boys one of them wearing a Haverhill football shirt dragging another teen across the floor of a locker room. The Woburn Police Department received a complaint Wednesday involving members of a Woburn High School sports team regarding an incident earlier in the Belcher started his high school coaching career as an assistant at Bishop Fenwick in 2001. I didn't like what I saw," said student Elliot Batista. He was called a snitch. Belcher, 60, has been familiar to many in the Woburn area since he was a three-sport star at neighboring Stoneham High School in the late 1970s. All of those charged are students at Woburn Memorial High School. Kevin Couceles says cellphone video shared on social media shows his then 14-year-old son being assaulted in the locker room after a football game last September. Several students, including football players in uniform, are seen pouring water on him and throwing water bottles. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Now, police are filing criminal charges against seven students accused of the assault. A Woburn police detective has been assigned to the case. OVERALL 7-4 0.64 Win %. Due to the ages of those involved, no additional information is available at this time. "Parents deserve to know when they send their kids to play high school sports that their children will be safe. The moments before were obstructed from view by the crowd gathered around. Seven teenagers are facing criminal charges in connection to a hazing investigation in Woburn, Massachusetts. The Woburn hazing accusations are the latest in a series of troubling charges of inappropriate behavior within high school athletic programs in Greater Boston. In response, Woburn school superintendent Matt Crowley issued a statement that said, I was informed by the High School administration that there was one allegation of bullying made against Coach Jack Belcher. Marotta said the investigation is ongoing and significant material was uncovered Wednesday, impacting the direction of the investigation and the entire school community. There was little to no supervision in the locker room, he said. Two other Woburn students allegedly accosted Coucelos later, he said. ""A freshman getting dragged down on the floor, them pulling down his pants and pulling down the other dude's pants and humping him in the face. The two teams were scheduled to play in Haverhill at 10 a.m., the time all high-school games are played on that season-ending day for most teams. An alleged hazing incident is under investigation at the high school in Woburn, Massachusetts. Somehow, ganging up or picking on someone half ones size has come to symbolize the kind of toughness required to be successful on a football field, basketball court or hockey rink. But off the field, an investigation is underway, Sources tell News Center Five Police are investigating whether a juvenile was hazed and sexually assaulted at the school in an incident involving the football team. "The Woburn Police Department and Woburn Public Schools will continue to work together to ensure the safety of all students. REPORTER: THEY ARE KICKING OFF THAT PROGRAM DECEMBER 8, EVOLVING -- INVOLVING THE MASS ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS IN THE NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY SPORTS AND SOCIETY GROUP. And in Woburn, police are "investigating whether a juvenile was hazed and sexually assaulted at the school in an incident involving the football team." The Rockets improved to 2-0 by dominating Woburn, 35-7, last Saturday at Woburn High. Any such misconduct will be responded to swiftly and it will undoubtedly have lasting repercussions for all of those involved., Haverhill Mayor James Fiorentini said in a statement shared on Facebook Wednesday night that he was alarmed, concerned, and frankly disgusted by the video and that this can never be allowed to occur again., He said the boys involved in the incident should be immediately permanently removed from the team., I fully support the superintendents actions in cancelling the Thanksgiving game, suspending those involved and conducting a full investigation, he said in the statement. "We need to determine how this happened and what we can do so that this never happens again," Fiorentini said. Its hard to watch but Kevin Couceles says cellphone video shared on social media shows his son being assaulted in the locker room of Woburn Memorial High School after a football game last September. 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Ten football captains six seniors and four juniors circulated a letter to news outlets, saying they were not trying to minimize any allegations that are being investigated by the proper people., In fact, we all condemn bullying of any kind, the captains wrote. Haverhill High School students who saw the video said the lewd acts shown on that video happened in the locker room of the school's football stadium, Trinity Stadium. "The school official, superintendent, the principal, vice principal, coaches they all should [face] consequences.. Haverhill High School is shutting down all football activities, canceling all future practices and forfeiting the Thanksgiving Day game, due to an alleged hazing incident involving some members of the school's team. They explicitly and repeatedly informed the players of those prohibitions both prior to and subsequent to the [attack]., Crowleys assertion appears contrary to head freshman coach Chris Scichilones statement in the investigative report that training related to hazing or Title IX only occurred after the incident and Andrewss statement that he did not receive any formal training with respect to hazing until after the incident.. Woburn officials on Saturday issued a statement confirming that a detective was assigned to an investigation involving a high school sports team. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. "Any such misconduct will be responded to swiftly and it will undoubtedly have lasting repercussions for all of those involved. Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. He instills hard work, with strict rules, respect for team members and respect for adults at all times. The statement issued by Police Chief Robert Rufo, Mayor Scott Galvin and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Matthew Crowley did not state the nature of the complaint or the specific team, but WCVB reports that officials are investigating whether a teenage member of the football program was hazed and sexually assaulted. It was dirty. With Haverhill forfeiting the contest, Lowell will finish the season with a 4-7 record. Callanan said in an e-mail, I can reaffirm that I acted appropriately throughout my handling of the familys claims and that much of the information provided to you to date, and which you have printed, is inaccurate.. 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