Manhattan High School Principal Greg Hoyt released a statement Thursday concerning investigations into hazing and the football program that first came to light in October.
The investigations done by the school district and the Riley County Police Department have been completed, according to officials. The RCPD has sent its findings to the county attorney’s office.
The matter has clouded the future of football coach Joe Schartz. During Wednesday night’s USD 383 School Board meeting, no action was taken on Schartz. Instead, the board put Schartz’s fate in the hands of superintendent Marvin Wade.
“Our desire to be thorough and to hold responsible parties accountable has taken a great deal of time and effort on the part of many individuals,” Hoyt wrote. “This has been a trying time for the entire MHS community. Many people have desired an immediate response, and I certainly understand that perspective. Many are frustrated with the length of the process, which I also understand. This process has taken time, and we don’t want to take hasty or premature action. We wanted to be thorough in our process and get all the facts.”
Hoyt also released the school’s findings so far:
• There is a “culture” issue in the football program that includes a ritual of a “birthday beatdown”.
• Students abide by a “Code of Silence” that is not unique to our football program; this code also exists on different levels and in different segments of our society. This code has made it difficult to get the facts.
• There are differing levels of player involvement ranging from playful pushing to aggressive punching and kicking. We have issued discipline consequences for this behavior to ensure that this behavior will not be repeated. However, those consequences cannot be shared in accordance with state and federal student and employee privacy laws.
“As a former athlete and coach I am disheartened with the injury to the student and the behavior that caused harm to one of our students,” Hoyt added. “This has left a negative mark on a program that is rich in history. It takes years to build a house, and yet takes only moments to tear it down. So will be the case with the reputation of our athletic program, our school, and our community. This unfortunate behavior which resulted in a student being injured will define our school and athletic program for quite some time.
It is not nearly enough, but I would like to publicly apologize to the students, their families, and the plethora of athletes past and present. Steps have and continue to be taken to correct and ensure that this never occurs again, including additional mandatory supervisory and staff training requirements and enhance athletic educational components.”
