Violent locker room ritual at Southern California's Mater Dei High School left bloodied football

[TexasTowelie]

Violent locker room ritual at Southern California’s Mater Dei High School left bloodied football player with brain injury, broken nose


SANTA ANA -- “Where’s your watch?”

The shout from a Mater Dei High School football player alerted his teammates to two players about to square off in the school’s freshman locker room for Bodies, an initiation or hazing ritual where players punch each other in the torso between the hips and shoulders until one of them surrenders.

On this afternoon, prior to a Mater Dei practice in February, one of the participants, 5-foot-9, 175 pounds and a newcomer to the team, paced uneasily, shirtless, a chain with a crucifix dangling around his neck, while his opponent, more than 50 pounds heavier, moved from side to side in a narrow area near the room’s red lockers.

“Got the timer right here, guy,” a player can be heard yelling over laughter on a video of the incident. “Ready, three, two, one, go.”

And with that, the two players began punching each other in a fight that eventually moved to the varsity locker room where they continued to brawl beneath “COURAGE, PRIDE, POISE” painted in large letters on the walls as some Mater Dei players shouted racial epithets while others sat at their lockers not even paying attention to the altercation.

Read more: https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2021/11/23/mater-dei-locker-room-ritual-left-bloodied-football-player-with-brain-injury-broken-nose/

The article mentions that the football team is still in the playoffs. I'm surprised the school hasn't suspended the program with the allegations made. Who will be the next person with serious injuries?

[Auggie]

1. Apalling. Shut down the program, fire and incarcerate the coaches.

Our high school football program (decades ago) had a violent rite called "Last Hits," where at the end of season the departing senior class was allowed to rush stationary underclassmen and hit them with the most force that could be mustered, one on one.

Underclassmen were supposed to take it "like men." Head and groin targeting were off-limits but the possibility of severe injury to the chest cavity and surrounding bone structure was likely. Our coach was a dick, by the way.

I loathe hazing.

[Merlot]

2. The kid who was injured was suspended from school

The whole story is appalling. Orange County Catholic school with a history of hiding abuse continues the abuse.