A hazing scandal on a Pennsylvania high school football team has led to criminal charges against members of both the coaching staff and the roster. Four coaches and six players have now been indicted by a grand jury over alleged locker room hazing incidents.
At the center of the case is a young player who prosecutors say was brutally attacked. A 15-year-old student was allegedly punched, kicked and stomped in the head and groin with football cleats last year, and a broomstick was also used against the victim.
The teenager did not stay silent about what had happened to him. The student immediately told a coach, but the school district did not learn about the incident until a week later, a delay that is now part of the case.
That gap has drawn particular scrutiny toward the adults involved. One coach is accused of trying to cover it all up in order to protect the team's season.
Investigators have described a wall of silence around what unfolded. Officials said there had been a reluctance by most parties, both adults and juveniles, to tell what they knew, what they saw and what they heard that day in the locker room.
As the inquiry went on, it emerged that this was not an isolated episode. Investigators later discovered that a similar attack had taken place a few weeks earlier, and the teen at the center of the case still feels isolated and threatened.
The fallout has now reached the entire program. The school district has canceled the upcoming season and is overhauling the whole football program in the wake of the allegations and the indictments.