Whitehorse soccer players hazed at national tournament: parents
Soccer officials promise suspensions, give few other details
Last Updated: Monday, November 17, 2008 | 3:47 PM CT
CBC News
The parents of a 14-year-old soccer player say their son and two others were hazed by their teammates at a national tournament last month, and are now calling on the Yukon Soccer Association to discipline the team's coach and some of its players.
The teen's mother and father, who spoke anonymously in order to protect their child's identity, told CBC News the three boys were taped and wrapped in plastic and written on with markers, among other things.
Their son and his teammates were all members of the Yukon's U-14 boys team that played at the national championships in Charlottetown, P.E.I., in October.
The boy's father said his son's behaviour "was completely erratic and unpredictable" when he returned home from Charlottetown. The boy did not tell his parents about the incident, but the mother said she learned about it from another parent.
"It's pretty much your worst nightmare, really. We wondered if we knew everything; if there was more that our son didn't want to tell us," the boy's mother said.
"It's textbook hazing, bullying. Nobody talked. There's a cloak of silence .... There's 17 boys involved. Nobody talked."
Boys tied up, drawn on
On the last night of the tournament, two of the three boys were bound with tape and wrapped in plastic wrap by their teammates, the parents said. Obscenities were also written on the boys' faces with markers.
"His hands and feet were taped with athletic tape, and then two rolls of Saran Wrap were put around him," the mother said. "He was drawn on again, and photographs were taken of him on cellphone. He was complaining that he was losing circulation."
The three were held in separate hotel rooms, and several teammates moved back and forth between the two rooms, the parents said. One boy was beaten with wet towels, they added.
"It is harassment. It's physical abuse, it's emotional abuse," the father said. "It's degrading, it's humiliating, and it's completely inappropriate, and I do not send my child across the country to have those things happen."
Soccer officials promise suspensions
The parents said they want the Yukon Soccer Association to have the boy's coach and some of the teammates banned from the sport for at least one year. They warned they will sue the association if it does not treat their concerns seriously.
On Sunday, the parents of all three boys met with association officials, after CBC News called the association to inquire about the incident.
The parents said they were told there would be suspensions, but no further details were given. The association also refused to say whether the coach would face any disciplinary measures.
The parents said they want to know why the team's coach and chaperones did not protect the three teenagers, and why no team official informed them of the incident.
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