PARLIN, N.J. — The abrupt cancellation of football season at a New Jersey prep powerhouse signaled something more than locker-room hijinks.
Seven teens are facing sex-crime charges as this solidly middle-class town and its beloved football program find themselves at the center of the broader debate over how to deal with hazing.
The district’s superintendent said abuse by the Sayreville War Memorial High School students was so pervasive that he had no choice but to call off the season for a team that has won three sectional titles in four years. His decision angered team parents but drew applause from advocates who called it the kind of bold stand necessary to confront hazing.
No coaches have been charged, and it isn’t clear whether any knew about the alleged incidents. In his first public comments, head coach George Najjar told the Star-Ledger of Newark on Saturday that he would comment on the allegations but “now is not the time.”
Najjar could not be reached by telephone Saturday evening.
The allegations involved attacks on four students over a 10-day span last month, authorities said. Six defendants were arrested Friday, and the seventh surrendered Saturday. Their names were not released.
One of the attacks involved sexual penetration upon one of the alleged victims, said Middlesex County prosecutor Andrew C. Carey.
In a statement, Superintendent Richard Labbe said the district will “come together as a school district and greater community to harness the strength required to support the young men who may have been victimized and then to begin the healing process for our beloved community.”
Stuart Green, founder of the New Jersey Coalition for Bullying Awareness and Prevention, praised Labbe’s decision as one that could change the conversation on the issue of bullying.
