CHS FOOTBALL COACH ON SAYREVILLE HAZING SCANDAL

Columbia High School football coach John Power said he has discussed the football hazing scandal at Sayreville High School with his players and made it clear such actions were not tolerated on his team.

  

"I discussed it with them, I discussed the Sayreville situation with them and when the story came out I read it verbatim to them," Power told Maplewoodian.com Thursday. "They were horrified and obviously that’s not normal behavior if that’s what it is, the alleged situation. I discussed and read what the charges were, or at least what the stories were, obviously it should never happen anywhere.”

The alleged hazing in Sayreville, which has led to the cancelation of that team's football season and prompted criminal investigations, has sparked outrage statewide among football players and parents and prompted national media attention.

The case drew more interest Thursday when reports surfaced about the detailed physical abuse involved, allegedly by senior players over freshmen.

Power, who is in his first year at CHS, called the allegations in Sayreville "horrific" and stressed that his team is taught to help freshmen players, not abuse them. He said early on that senior players were named to be "big brothers" for specific freshmen players to offer guidance and support.

“We’re one family and there is no distinction there, freshmen always need to be helped out," Power explained. “I don’t think (hazing is) a football thing. We have a pretty open environment and we embrace the freshmen, they’re to be lifted up and helped and be taught how we would want things done.”