The DISTURBING Truth of NFL Hazing

Today, we’ll be going over the controversial history of Hazing in the NFL and NCAAF.

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Chapters:
A Dark Truth – 0:00
The Dark Side of Hazing – 3:19
Richie Incognito Bullying Incident – 8:23
Northwestern University Hazing Scandal – 13:23
Bart Starr Alabama Hazing Incident – 16:33
San Diego University Hazing Scandal – 17:47

American football a sport that embodies teamwork strength and resilience but beneath the glory in camaraderie there’s a hidden darkness that haunts the locker rooms new developments and another big story in professional football the football program is being investigated for hazing accusations that a Miami Dolphins player quit because he was bullied by members of his own team you have piece of sh I want to come in your mou former freshman football quarterback at the University of San Diego has fought the lawsuit claiming sexual hazing hazing Scandal rocking the Northwestern community described as a coerced sexual act entering the NFL is a dream come true for biting American football players but beneath the glamour there is a much darker reality fresh out of college and still with much to learn these young athletes find themselves in a high-intensity environment where they are pressured to prove their Worth to seasoned veterans aside from the immense pressure they are under to succeed as an NFL star on the field their quest for acceptance will also require conference off the field this can often come in the form of hazing which can so easily flip from banter to bullying in a heartbeat the ability to play the sport you love is a full-time job and attempt to build a great sporting Legacy is a luxury that not many many will ever get to achieve however the side effect of becoming a future star of the NFL is a mountain of pressure from internal and external forces NFL players are accountable to fans coaches and teammates alike a young hot shot quarterback can make or break a team’s fortunes and the veterans on that team may only have one or two years left to try and get over the hump and win a ring if the pressure of having to perform under the bright lights of the NFL isn’t hard enough the off field rituals can also offer up a significant cause for concern fans of Hard Knocks will be used to seeing rookies nervously prepare for their talent shows where they have to step out of their comfort zone and entertain a room full of teammates this is Common Place in the NFL and would be considered on the lighter end of inducting new players into Life as a professional another common occurrence in welcoming rookies into the NFL is the rookie meal it includes rookies paying for a lavish meal for their position group or a large group of vetrans in 2019 Titans rookie DeAndre Walker was stuck with a 10,400 $87 bill after his teammates gorged on Wu steak and downed expensive KAC it’s easy to roll your eyes at the prospect of a professional athlete complaining about one expensive food bill but Walker was a fifth round rookie who was on injured reserve not long later he only lasted two years in the league so 10,000 probably would have come in handy Lane Johnson’s rookie dinner in Philadelphia resulted in a $177,000 tab whereas Dez Bryan in Dallas was asked to pay $55,000 for his teammates dining choices former NFL wide receiver Tory Smith spoke out in an interview a couple of years ago to say that he disagreed with this method of hazing stating that it sets a precedent for a lavish lifestyle that players shouldn’t be leading he points out that rookies are financially illiterate and that these dinners are a bad way to get the ball rolling on their lives with their new salaries the Saints are filling the headlines after a controversial hazing incident that nearly blinded one of their players punched kicked and El broke his head flattered Cleveland’s eye socket while most hazing in the NFL is done in a light-hearted manner plenty of unfortunate stories exist at the other end of the Spectrum which have garnered a lot of negative attention after coming to light in 1998 the New Orleans st’s rookies endured one of the NFL’s most infamous hazing incidents while at the Saints training camp the young players had pillowcases put over their heads and were forced to run through a gauntlet of 25 veterans navigating their way through violent attack attacks these attacks came in the form of punches kicks and even socks full of coins being swung tight end cam Cleland was left with blurry vision in one eye after taking a hit that shattered his eye socket and broke his nose the brutal initiation puts the newcomers in an impossible position desperate to make good on their opportunity in the league and to earn the respect of their team refusing to participate doesn’t stand out as an option doing so would instantly make you an outsider within your team and put you very much on the back foot in terms of earning the respect of the team’s veteran members for those same reasons cam Cleland decided against complaining about his injuries to the team despite them causing him to miss the next preseason game one person who didn’t remain silent was defensive tackle Jeff Danish who clattered through a glass window and nearly fell three stories and what could have been a far more serious incident instead his lucky Escape still landed him with 14 stitches and a broken hand following this Danish attempted to sue the Saints for $650,000 based on lost wages impaired future earnings pain and suffering humiliation and a loss of enjoyment of Life the team ended up settling out of court with Danish proving he had a good case to make another incident that rocked the NFC South came earlier that decade in Atlanta this time the main protagonist was offensive lineman bill frck as a four-time pro bowler freck held a prominent position within the lock room which does not combine well with the sadistic personality of someone who gets enjoyment out of humiliating others he earned a reputation that made people try and avoid him which was easier said than done in 1990 freck and some of his veteran teammates grabbed a young player from the shower taped him to a metal bench and carried him naked and helpless onto the field it was a dehumanizing moment made worse by the fact it was in front of fans presenting the worst example of locker room bullying for all to see another victim was Pete Lucas drafted in the 10th round of the 1991 NFL draft it was a nightmare landing spot SP for Locus as he quickly became a target for freck and other linemen he was 6’3 320 lb which made him a prime target for Fric who regularly threatened to take his knees out if he did not perform humiliating acts these included stripping naked to make matters worse coaches would even pause team meetings to allow this to happen emphasizing the depth of this cruel culture within the team Lucas’s accounts were corroborated by former teammates which explains why his eventual release came as a a relief to him it wasn’t a long career in the NFL for Pete Lucas but one that was enough to scar him for life these stories paint a picture of how tough life can be for certain players in the NFL former sixth round pick Ryan riddle discussed how difficult it was for him to come to terms with being released by the Raiders in 2006 before quickly transitioning into a new team for an introverted person entering an entirely new Social Circle as an outsider is daunting ultimately the only thing that could save riddle was his ability to be violent and physically dominant on the field which would make up for a softspoken attitude and save him from the perception of weakness it should therefore come as no surprise that bullying and hazing have been such a big part of life in the NFL a violent nature is required if you want to survive in the league which only encourages a violent and intimidating culture within locker rooms in this article the former player describes the Chicago Bears hazing rituals during the 2006 season these included relatively harmless acts such as getting wacky haircuts or being awoken in the early hours of the morning to run laps it’s all pretty harmless stuff so long as you play along one player who decided he didn’t fancy it learned the hard way that you do what you’re told as a rookie not happy with his Disobedience older players grabbed the rookie and bound him in plastic he was then carried and thrown into an ice bath flailing around helplessly as he was unable to break his limbs free and remove himself from the icy water the same player also discussed how players would be wrapped in TI upside down to the goalposts on their birthdays before being dunked by their teammates in the ice bath it was a ritual that could so easily spiral out of control and appeared to encourage a mob mentality from those instigating The Hazing for many it is just a laugh and part of being on a sports team not everyone has the same threshold for what is fun and what would be considered bullying this is where hazing can become particularly dangerous perhaps one of the dirtiest players in all of the NFL scandal after scandal after scandal after bullying accusations that now include racial slurs and it involves Miami Dolphin player Ricky Incognito Thor just becomes worse and worse hey what’s up you half piece of I’m going to slap your real mother across the the face you I’ll kill you [Music] it isn’t just rookies who have been on the receiving end of bad treatment in the NFL the most famous incident to rock the NFL landscape came in 2013 when offensive lineman Jonathan Martin left the Miami Dolphins as a result of being on the receiving end of sustained harassment from members of the team it was a shock move for a player in their second year with their whole career ahead of them quickly becoming major news in NFL circles there was a lot of ambiguity during the early stages of the story being released but it didn’t take long for the puzzle pieces to fall into place after watching their seconde offensive lineman walk out the door and complain about harassment the Miami Dolphins organization suspended another offensive lineman Richie Incognito on the grounds of behavior that was detrimental to the team not pleased with the decision Incognito took to Twitter to voice his frustration and demand that his name be cleared he did not get his wish instead an NFL investigation found that Incognito subjected Jonathan Martin to a pattern of harassment including racial slurs and sexual taunts about his mother and sister the 144 page report was damning for Incognito painting him as the main antagonist he wasn’t alone though with fellow offensive linemen John Jerry and Mike pouncy also being found to have harassed Martin another offensive lineman and an assistant trainer This truly was a case that shed light on the darker side of life in the NFL and the toxic culture that can arise within a lock room the consistent harassment led to significant mental health issues for Jonathan Martin resulting in him contemplating suicide and checking himself into a South Florida Hospital to be treated for emotional distress the most significant examples came from voicemails left by incognito on Martin’s phone one of which included racial slurs and many violent threats to both Martin and his mother there were texts that followed a similar theme as well making the decision to suspend Incognito pretty easy alongside the verbal torment and racial abuse Incognito also forced Martin to contribute $115,000 towards a trip for Miami players that Martin did not even attend it was relentless harassment and bullying of the second-year player and it is no surprise that it took such an emotional toll on Martin his decision to leave the team suddenly made sense with the 144-page report vindicating him in every possible way in the same way that bill Fric was allowed to foster a sadistic culture of Cruelty in Atlanta in the early 1990s Richie Incognito was was able to do the same in Miami in the early 2010s the abuse of Jonathan Martin is what grabbed the headlines and triggered the investigation but the report that followed told a story of much deeper bullying issues for example an assistant trainer of Asian descent was subjected to racial taunts and jokes involving props related to the Pearl Harbor attack furthermore in addition to incognito Jerry and pouncy being named as guilty parties offensive line coach Jim Turner was also caught up in the Scandal the report references is another victim in player a who is subjected to abuse and bullying as a result of a theory that he was gay aware of this ongoing sense of amusement for the older players Turner did not stand up for his victimized player but instead joined in on the joke according to the report around Christmas 2012 coach Turner gave the offensive lineman gift bags that included a variety of stocking stuffers the gifts included female dolls for all the offensive linemen except for player a who received the male doll Turner’s support of the main instigators of abuse didn’t stop there either with the coach having been found to have sent text to Jonathan Martin pressuring him to defend Incognito publicly one text read Richie Incognito is getting hammered on national TV this is not right you could put an end to all the rumors with a simple statement do the right thing now Turner sent these with the knowledge that Martin had admitted himself to the hospital as a result of the bullying which shows the serious lack of oversight and systemic issues within the organization the f from the incident was significant Incognito was suspended indefinitely and the Dolphins faced intense scrutiny from the media fans and the NFL the league addressed the issue by implementing stricter policies against bullying and promoting more respectful and inclusive locker room cultures while stories of expensive rookie meals will still pop up from time to time the lack of any major stories of bullying in recent years suggests the changes have been successful knowledge of the hazing [Music] and in Northwestern univers released were all victims but the culture was so strong that we felt we had to go with it while the NFL has been free from any major bullying scandals in recent years the college game has not in 2023 Northwestern University feasted a significant hazing Scandal within its football program leading to widespread media coverage lawsuits and the firing of head coach papit Gerald the Scandal initially came to light in November of 2022 when an anonymous complaint was filed giving details of serious hazing incidents within the football team in response the university commissioned an independent investigation which attorney Maggie hickey LED having concluded her investigation hickey felt there was clear evidence to support the allegations made by the anonymous complainant she described hazing incidents in which freshmen were forcibly restrained and made to endure simulated sexual acts by upper classmen wearing masks this act was called running and victims would be marked to receive this method of hazing by something called the Shrek clap which involved players clapping their hands above their head when near the player they’re dooming to become the next victim this information was revealed in an interview with an anonymous former player in the University’s paper the former player whose accounts were corroborated ated went into detail about what hazing went on and even the complicity of the head coach P Fitzgerald who is portrayed to have encouraged the behavior in the article the anonymous player claims Fitzgerald would make the Shrek clap signal during practice to identify players who the rest of the team should later Haze it is worth noting that Fitzgerald denied knowing anything about The Hazing despite this he was suspended and ultimately fired unfortunately cases like this always seem to have coach’s compliance as a common denominator just like in the case of Richie Incognito and his offensive line coach Pat Fitzgerald and his coaching staff somehow allowed a culture of bowling and torment to take over the locker room several others were forced upon people which also involved having to do degrading things while naked in front of the team while there was no distinct evidence that coaches were aware of what was going on the report by Maggie hickey did state that there were significant opportunities to find out about it and reported one example of this was a screenshot of a whiteboard in the middle of the locker room that EXP explicitly referenced hazing Fitzgerald was eventually fired for his failure to prevent The Hazing not long after this lawsuits began to come in from former players one player identified as John Doe alleged that Fitzgerald and other senior figures enabled and concealed sexual misconduct and racial discrimination as the months passed by more and more former players filed lawsuits revealing the depths of the problem at the University pep Fitzgerald also filed a lawsuit claiming he was wrongfully dismissed for which the trial has been set for 2025 it’s clear that the story has some chapters still to be written one story wrapped up many years ago was the incredible story of Bart Star an NFL legend who led the Green Bay Packers to two Super Bowl victories his footballing journey properly got underway at Alabama unfortunately star’s college career was impacted greatly by a back injury caused by a punting incident or so everyone thought it was later revealed by star’s wife Cherry that the injury came about as a result of a severe hazing incident during his initiation back then players were initiated into Alabama’s a club an organization for Varsity Letterman by being beaten by paddles that had holes drilled in them star was beaten until his back looked like a piece of raw meat the injuries were so bad that star missed most of his Junior and senior seasons and continued to suffer from lingering back issues throughout his storyed professional career his teammate Nick germanos confirmed the severe nature of The Hazing describing it as worse than what he endured during his three-year stint in the Marines despite this star went on to enjoy a long career with the Green Bay Packers in which he won two Super Bowls in five NFL championships he is now recognized in the Pro Football Hall of Fame a testament to his strength and resilience after getting off to the worst possible start during college another University to fall foul of some very negative publicity in 2023 was San Diego which was on the receiving end of more serious hazing allegations news of the Scandal first Rose after transfer student AJ Paris filed a lawsuit against the university he had joined to play quarterback but the experience quickly turned sour as he claimed that he and other freshmen in transfers were subjected to severe hazing by upper classmen from the first session The Hazing he claimed included various degrading practices headlined by a nude rookie show that involved drugs alcohol and sexual assault he claimed that head coach Brandon Moore was aware of the activities however Moore denied this and stated that he immediately reported the incidents to University leadership he also suspended all football activities which triggered an internal investigation and preliminary suspensions within the team in October 2023 another freshman Colin Murphy filed a second lawsuit supporting the claims made by Perez and adding more information Murphy described additional hazing rituals such as the car wash where freshmen were forced to press their against a window for upper classmen to see and were forced to watch extreme for Murphy the harassment was continuous leading him to avoid team events and suffer mental distress both Perez and Murphy withdrew from the University of San Diego citing their ongoing mental health issues and fear of punishment from their teammates their attorney Scott Carr pointed out the clear need for systemic change within the program claiming that his clients were revealing a widespread culture of abuse that required serious investigation an internal investigation did take place temporarily suspending all football activities the University’s President James T Harris acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations and assured the campus community that action had been taken to discipline those involved as part of this action athletic director Bill Millis resigned despite this there was widespread skepticism about what the university knew prior to the investigation and how much complicity there was letting it all occur answers to these questions May yet be revealed with legal proceedings still underway there is no denying that hazing has always been a part of being on a sports team thankfully in the instance of Bart Star he was able to go on to have a successful and celebrated career others have not been so fortunate many suffer the pain and distress of hazing and bullying in the sport without the future success to help make up for it from DeAndre Walker being landed with a 10K dinner Bill and finding himself out of the league just 2 years later to Jonathan Martin seeing a promising career go up in Flames because of severe bullying and harassment from Rich Incognito he ended up in the hospital with severe depression and was out of the league a few years later stories of bullying and harassment in the NFL and college football are tragic stories of men in powerful positions prying on the younger things have improved but the Northwestern and San Diego scandals prove these problems still exist the NFL is a violent business so it should come as no surprise that there is a darker side to life in the locker room for some as Ryan riddle said in the bleach report article you have to develop a violent nature to survive and that’s not always going to be possible for everyone on a vast and diverse roster for some people life in the NFL may not be as glamorous as it seems check out my previous video on the Dark Truth of NFL referees