--- ---  # Football Players Recall Abusive Hazing at New Jersey High School  by [Dan Kedmey](https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Oct 20, 2014 12:16 PM UTC  Residents of Sayreville gather for an anti-bullying rally Oct. 12, 2014, in Sayreville, N.J. Residents of Sayreville gather for an anti-bullying rally Oct. 12, 2014, in Sayreville, N.J.Mel Evans—AP  by [Dan Kedmey](https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Oct 20, 2014 12:16 PM UTC Older players on a New Jersey high school football team that has drawn national headlines for [a hazing scandal](http://time.com/3478268/football-hazing/) allegedly pinned younger players to the floor and punched, kicked and sexually groped their bodies, according to [a new report](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/20/nyregion/in-new-jersey-young-players-recall-hazing.html). The New York _Times_, citing interviews with victims and multiple witnesses, provides new detail to the scandal that has cost Sayreville War Memorial High School its football season and has led [seven varsity football players](http://time.com/3494123/sexual-assault-new-jersey/) to be [arrested](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/20/nyregion/in-new-jersey-young-players-recall-hazing.html?%5Fr=0). One victim said he was penetrated from behind by a finger. But there are conflicting accounts and some said they didn’t consider the hazing abusive. The victims told the _Times_ that they continued to suffer from abuse and taunts on social media for reporting the attacks, and one said the backlash “made me want to shoot myself.” The team’s season was cancelled this month. [Read more at _the Times_](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/20/nyregion/in-new-jersey-young-players-recall-hazing.html) Sayreville War Memorial High School Football Players Recall Hazing ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3524309/sayreville-war-memorial-high-school-football-hazing/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3524309/sayreville-war-memorial-high-school-football-hazing/"},"headline":"Football Players Recall Abusive Hazing at New Jersey High School","datePublished":"2014-10-20T12:16:37.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T10:53:01.664Z","description":"One said the backlash from reporting the incident “made me want to shoot myself”","url":"https://time.com/3524309/sayreville-war-memorial-high-school-football-hazing/","keywords":["Football"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6146a4bdaf63d896/6987619d5f570f112eb12cfd/ap264157532400.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Dan Kedmey","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/"}],"articleSection":"Sports","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6146a4bdaf63d896/6987619d5f570f112eb12cfd/ap264157532400.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Football Team Investigation","caption":"Football Team Investigation","creditText":"Mel Evans—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/sports/","name":"Sports"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/football/","name":"Football"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3524309/sayreville-war-memorial-high-school-football-hazing/","name":"Football Players Recall Abusive Hazing at New Jersey High School"}}]}] ```