Following an Oct. 2019 practice, several players allegedly targeted the plaintiffs. When one of the plaintiffs tried to run away, the players grabbed him and pinned him to the ground. They then allegedly pushed a broom stick between both students' buttocks, resulting in penetration, according to the suit.
The assault was so violent that the broom stick snapped in half, the suit said.
Both players involved in the suit were assaulted in this way, according to attorneys. Other “Code Blue” rituals also exist, including one where players were forced to strip naked, be covered in soap, and then be physically assaulted in the locker room showers.
After a meeting involving parents and coaches, the only discipline that was handed out was three-day suspensions for four of the players involved, according to the suit. Others received “little-to-no punishment.”
Following the meeting, the two plaintiffs in the case have been subject to “bullying, harassment and threats,” the suit says. One of the defendants has been subjected to harassment during basketball games, with students chanting “broomstick” at him.
The school allegedly refused transfer requests for one of the plaintiffs, and the district refused to sign a waiver that would allow the other plaintiff to compete for another IHSA school, according to the suit.