An investigation by a Portland-based law firm has found a culture of hazing and roughhousing on the Lisbon High School football team. School officials ordered the investigation after they heard allegations that teammates assaulted a player with a broomstick.
The investigation identified several types of hazing, including stuffing a freshman headfirst into a garbage can, trapping players — usually underclassmen — in a cage door in the locker room and poking them with a broom handle, and leather 'belt battles' that in at least one instance left a visible mark on a freshman player.
Attorneys at Drummond Woodsum said they interviewed 40 students as part of their investigation, many who resisted volunteering details and some who were visibly nervous. School staff informed attorneys that they heard football players tell teammates not to tell the truth or cooperate with the investigation.
The report found that similar hazing incidents may have occurred in the past. It concluded that the problem is rooted in the culture of the program, and found it was troubling that players brushed off hazing as "messing around" and "horseplay."
The Superintendent of Lisbon Schools did not immediately return a request for comment. Seven players were suspended from the football team earlier this month following a separate investigation. Lisbon police are also investigating.
