Ex-player sues Illinois high school over football hazing

Published Nov. 24, 2019 6:01 p.m. ET

BYRON, Ill. (AP) — A former player is suing his northern Illinois high school, its football coaches, administrators and a former teammate over alleged hazing, including an incident in which he and other players were forced to run naked across a field.

The Rockford Register Star reports that the former Byron High School player contends in his lawsuit there is a culture of “long standing, systemic, ritualized” hazing and bullying in the football program.

The players were suspended after taking part in an October 2018 “Oreo Run,” in which students ran across a football field with cookies wedged in their rear ends.

The plaintiff, who is identified in the lawsuit as “John Doe,” was also assaulted by a teammate who later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery.