A Washington public school district must pay $15 million to two former high school football players who were s*xually assaulted by teammates during an out-of-hand hazing ritual, a Spokane County Superior Court jury decided last week.
The verdict finds the Mead School District liable for gross negligence, failure to report the crimes, and discrimination following a June 2023 football training camp at Eastern Washington University. The jury awarded $8 million to a Black victim, $7 million to a white victim, and an additional $500,000 to each of the victims’ four parents.
The trial reconstructed a harrowing sequence of events from the three-day athletic camp. According to court testimonies, a group of upperclassmen tracked a sophomore student-athlete down in a dorm room, pinned him to a bed, and forcibly assaulted him with a battery-powered massage gun. One assailant wore a mask while others chanted “sacrifice” and filmed the assault on mobile.
The teen victim reported that teammates subjected him and other Black players to racial slurs, including calling him a “monkey” and saying he “needed to be put on a leash,”as well as using derogatory tropes like “fried chicken” and “Kool-Aid,” which he said dehumanized them.
Marcus Sweetser, the attorney representing the plaintiffs said the Black student was targeted for his race, while the white student was targeted for his race, while the white student was targeted as retribution for attempting to shield Black teammates from subsequent attacks. On the final night of camp, the white student refused to disclose where other players were hiding, prompting 15 teammates to tackle him, pull his legs apart, and replicate the s*xual assault while declaring a “price must be paid.”
The criminal conduct went unpunished for months as Mead High School administrators actively minimized the gravity of the assaults. In a deposition, former Mead High School Principal Kimberly Jensen said football coach Keith Stamps and Athletics Director John Barrington kept the true nature of the incidents from her, characterizing the violent hazing as “boys roughhousing in a dorm room.”
Spokane County Superior Court Judge Annette Plese had already ruled prior to the trial that the district was liable for failing to protect students from foreseeable harm and violating mandatory reporting laws. Phone videos of the attacks had circulated widely through the Washington school community for eight months before the district finally notified the victims’ family in February 2024.
“For these young men to take the stand and speak their truth, having to relive painful events in a public courtroom, is a powerful testament to their bravery and resilience. We thank the jury for their dedicated service, careful attention to the evidence, and recognition of the harm that was done. We hope the verdict leads to meaningful change within the Mead School District,” Sweetser said in a statement to 4 News Now following the verdict.
Disclaimer: Inquisitr individually could not confirm the exact facts of the case and is reporting strictly based on the available court documents, trial testimonies, and official statements.
