I don’t think you should read too much into this. According to what you wrote earlier, it was a group of 8, a group of 2, and then the subject group of five over two years. So it could have been this incident plus two incidents of underage drinking or something like that. I know of an instance where a freshman teammate wandered off after a celebratory event, and no one could find him until the next morning, so the coach suspended all of the seniors from the next competition to make a point that they need to look out for each other.
I think people want to think kindly of other people so it makes sense that a lawsuit was filed because he experienced something horrific. On surface given what was reported I just don’t buy into that theory. My original guess is that he told his parents and one of his parents called the school and the coach pulled him in to question him. That’s how it played out with my son’s high school team and there are very few “secrets” in sports and the workplace. This kid was a freshman so his parents might have still perceived him as too young to deal with it and maybe he was.
Hazing is an ugly thing. It needs to be gone from all campuses. I applaud this kid for bringing in the lawsuit!
Remember that this is just the Complaint, one side’s story. There haven’t been any Answers filed yet. We may find that things aren’t as stated in the complaint. ‘Blindfolded’ as a form of torture? Gee, I hope this guy never have a pinata at a party or want to surprise their dates with a dinner!
One person’s opinion on whether something is hazing or ‘just for fun’ can cause a tradition to be shut down. I think all this political correctness does take the fun out of things. My younger daughter really didn’t find anything to be funny, didn’t like teasing by my brothers, but was desperate to be part of the joking around, and I really didn’t think it was a good thing for her to be offended by every single thing said to her. We worked on it from the time she was 3. My brothers would tease her until I thought she’d had enough, and then I’d tell them to stop but they would continue on with my other DD and she thought it was great fun; younger daughter would observe and really want to join in. Next time younger DD would get a little farther into the jokes and teasing before I called off the dogs. It seemed to work. She now can give as good as she gets, still doesn’t always get the jokes but at least she plays along, doesn’t get (so) angry and frustrated, knows when to back off herself. Friend’s daughter has Asperger’s and just doesn’t get any jokes or word play or want to be part of the kidding around. That’s fine, but I think she’s missing a lot and certainly would be in my family where we enjoy the teasing and gamesmanship.
Do I think the swim team went too far? Probably. Do I think some of this does build a team? I do. Studies have showed that kids prefer to have an unflattering nickname given by other kids than to have no nickname at all and not feel included. Of course the better outcome would be to give a flattering nickname, but the one trying to join the core of the team has to bend a little too.
Even more importantly this is now his history regardless of the outcome. Once you move it to the courts you own your position so I do sincerely hope it is not the parents behind the scenes stirring the pot since it is his name attached to the complaint
Yes, if you read some of the swim message boards, there are hints from people that the complainant was not the best fit for this program to begin with . Doesn’t excuse at all the allegations but that will all get resolved if it goes to court. People saying he had trouble with social cues and probably needed a smaller, more nurturing environment, his parents had threatened suing before on a club type team when they thought their son was being bullied . All hearsay but I do have concerns about the kid’s name being permanently attached to this if it was not his idea to pursue this in the courts.
If the allegations about the illegal things are true, and 4 other students’ parents apparently said they are, none of the social fit stuff matters because illegal trumps “cool” 10 times in 10.
Mores on personal privacy and alcohol are real important to real people, with traditions going back thousands of years, not just to 1925 (start of swimming at UVA). If these things are necessary in order to fit in, the recruits need to know ahead of time. This secret society stuff is nuts.
50N40W, it had already been investigated by the police who decided there was nothing that met the need to pursue criminal charges, this is a personal complaint, this kid against 5 other kids. Apparently this wasn’t very secret either. The complainant is actually the “bully” now so to speak since the other kids were already punished by the college. The complainant has a right to do this but he “owns” it now for better or worse. Worse if any of the gossip is true that sevmom has seen it will all come out which I would not want to have happen if I had a sensitive or socially challenged kid.
I don’t know much about the swim world after college, but if it is like other sports, it can be like a life-long community, where athletes come up against each other again, whether in Olympic campaigns or open meets or masters clubs, long after college meet days are over. I hope he considered this too, before filing suit. If he did, then I must assume he feels significantly mentally damaged by what happened to him. Otherwise it seems quite a (potential) sacrifice to file a lawsuit to teach people a lesson.
Yeah, a suit stains everything it touches.
For momof3, no charges have been filed yet. I don’t know the statute of limitations for these allegations.
A once famous cyclist, for example, may be facing some doping and racketeering charges several years after the fact.
He was awfully quick to invoke traditions and call his accusers bullies too. Which probably is why I watch this thread.
I can’t imagine this suit reflecting poorly on Marcantonio. He made it through “Welcome Week” and was not the one who brought it to the attention of the athletic department. He just refused to lie to his coach. In what world is being honest with your coach when asked a question considered a blemish? The suit would never have been filed if he had been supported rather than ostracized.
And I am going to bet that complaint is a doozy. The press is mostly out of Virginia so I am sure much of what actually happened is being “whitewashed.” Think Marcantonio may look to be a hero when the complete story is out.
HarvestMoon,
What makes you think he was the only one who refused to lie to his coach? How do you know that everyone involved didn’t come clean?
I don’t think we even know why the five were suspended. Do we? It could be because of the whole nine yards of what happened, or it could be something like serving alcohol to minors. We don’t know.
The reporting makes no mention of anyone else owning up to the hazing. Seems it is pretty much being unanimously reported that Marsantonio admitted it and paid the price. If you have read something to the contrary please post.
This is what ABC News reported relative to the suspensions:
I read comments to an article that indicated that the entire team had addressed the incident. Nothing about covering it up or lying about it, but who knows. It sounds like the plaintiff was the one who got the ball rolling and made everyone look bad.
They made themselves look bad by hazing. 
How did the plaintiff get the “ball rolling?” There is no question that the coach was informed by a source “unaffiliated” or “outside” the University. I am betting at the end of the day it will not be Marcantonio that makes UVA look bad. But you are right “who knows” we need more facts.
My impression from comments I read was that team members, including the one actually injured did not think the incident was a big deal; that it was blown out of proportion; that the punishment did not fit the “crime.” Again, who knows if this is the perspective of everyone on the team other than the plaintiff, but there is no question that his account via his lawsuit makes the incident look really, really bad.
I hope the students who conducted the hazing have their careers completely ruined.
Actually I think UVA acted appropriately once they were notified. The 5 upperclassmen were suspended for the semester – not sure if that means from the team or the school. I would not be surprised if they did not in fact quietly give the “heave ho” to the 2 that transferred to Michigan.
The administration did what they were supposed to do. I am not sure the same can be said for the coach – but in the end he lost since the team he assembled was pretty much dismantled.