Humboldt State University officials slapped the men's soccer team with a red card Tuesday.
Following an investigation into allegations of hazing involving several players at an off-campus party, President Rollin Richmond announced the suspension of the men's soccer team for the coming school year. Officials said the women's soccer team is also under investigation for hazing allegations at an off-campus party and the university will make public general information about any disciplinary action.
”Hazing is not tolerated at Humboldt State, not in athletics and not in any other area,” Richmond said in a letter explaining his decision to suspend the 2012-2013 season.
At a press conference following the announcement, Vice President of Student Affairs Peg Blake said she was “stunned and saddened” to hear any students on the HSU campus had been victimized by hazing.
”What we are saying right now, and let me be absolutely clear, is that hazing will not be tolerated on this campus,” Blake said.
The investigation into the alleged hazing incident and other violations of student and athletic codes of conduct began after school officials received a phone call on Aug. 6 indicating that a number of players on the men's soccer team had been involved in hazing and underage drinking at an off-campus party Aug. 4.
Blake said more than 20 players attended the party, all of whom engaged in hazing activities “designed to humiliate and degrade players.” Although she would not provide specifics, Blake went on to say that the lives of two student athletes were put in serious jeopardy. Neither received medical treatment.
Along with prohibiting the soccer team from competing in any California Collegiate Athletic Conference games or university sanctioned events, Humboldt officials also plan to discipline individual students.
Blake said the disciplinary sanctions faced by individual players range from written warnings up to expulsion from the entire California State University system. HSU spokesman Paul Mann said none of the players had been or were anticipated to be expelled.
School officials stated that campus police and the Arcata Police Department were informed of the investigation. No criminal complaints have been filed in relation to the incident, Blake said, but that remains a possibility.
During Tuesday's press conference, HSU Athletic Director Dan Collen expressed his disappointment about the incident. In his 11 years at HSU, Collen said he could not recall ever hearing about hazing.
”There have been no allegations up to this point that I can remember, but we are seeing in this investigation that it looks like the tradition and culture of hazing has been there,” he said.
Collen said his department is now working on educating coaches and student athletes about the dangers of hazing to prevent future incidents.
In addition to suspending the men's team, the athletic department will institute a policy of random drug and alcohol testing. While the National Collegiate Athletic Association does conduct random drug testing of student athletes in Divisions I and II, CSU Chancellor's Office spokesman Mike Uhlenkamp said he was not aware of any other university athletic department instituting a policy of random drug and alcohol testing on top of NCAA's tests.
”It's possible, but I haven't heard of it,” he said.
The athletic department will also require all student athletes to sign a non-hazing agreement each year.
”We have started an immediate education process,” Collen said. “The focus right now is on what is best for our student athletes and on moving forward.”
Alan Exley, a former player and HSU soccer coach, said he was surprised and shocked to hear about the allegations against the men's team.
”Rookie initiations and things like that are not uncommon in our sport,” said Exley, who now coaches the College of the Redwoods women's soccer team, in addition to owning and coach the North Coast Tsunami Football Club. “But hazing -- that's a different story. We certainly didn't have any physical aspects like that when I was around.”
Exley said he had the opportunity to work with one of the senior players on the men's team, who played soccer for Exley's football club last spring.
”He was a a fine young man -- on and off the field. I could never imagine him, or any of the other players on the team for that matter, having any involvement in a situation like this. It would just be tragic if this were to influence his senior year.”
According to NCAA information officer Dan Pambianco, the association prohibits players from stepping on the field the same year they have a season taken away for disciplinary reasons, even if they are wearing a new jersey. That means that even if an HSU player were to transfer to a different school, they would have to sit this season out.
While that is bad news for seniors looking to graduate, lower classmen may choose to protect their eligibility by only attending HSU part-time next semester or even taking the entire year off, Pambianco said.
Because HSU is a D-II school, players do not face a ticking clock on their eligibility like D-I schools, Pambianco said. The only requirement for D-II players is that they must complete their four years within 10 full-time semesters.
Pambianco said a scrapped season will be hard on the players and the community.
”This is a tough time in the history of athletics,” he said. “College athletics is under real scrutiny. There is a lot of pressure coming down.”
At a glance: HSU hazing
Investigation: Allegations of hazing “designed to humiliate and degrade players.”
Result: Men's soccer season suspended for 2012-2013
Team members involved: 20
Medical attention: None
Still to come: Results of investigation into alleged hazing by women's soccer team
Staff writer Kaci Poor can be reached at 441-0504 or firstname.lastname@example.org.