Heritage players disciplined after alleged hazing incident

By Doug Spoon, Editor

One student has been suspended from school and others will lose playing time as discipline following an incident at Heritage High School on Saturday involving members of the football team.

In videos of the incident, which is alleged by parents to be hazing, football players are seen shoving apparent freshman players, some striking players in the head and throwing them around, during a break in the locker room at the school’s annual Legacy Kickoff event. According to three parents who contacted Menifee 24/7, some of the freshmen suffered injuries, although the extent of those injuries is unclear.

“Three or four freshmen had hand injuries and other bodily harm,” one parent wrote in an email. “The school is telling the athletes to not speak on this matter. Additionally, freshman victims also mentioned that they are still being threatened by the varsity players if they say anything further.”

According to another parent, the incident took place while players were unsupervised for about 10 minutes.

“The varsity players gathered in a circle, surrounded the freshmen players and were hitting, striking, and throwing them,” the parent wrote in an email. “No coaches were in the locker room at the time of the incident, which does not make sense since the raucous was really loud. Many parents were upset that there was no adult supervision at the time of the incident.”

Neither head football coach Rich McClure nor athletic director Brandon Jones responded to a request for comment.

According to Chase Coburn, PIO for the Menifee Police Department, the officer assigned to Heritage High as school resource officer worked with school administrators to determine disciplinary action.

“Through our investigation, our students have expressed that the intention of the huddle was to dance, celebrate, and pump each other up,” said principal Lindsay Chavez. “Although the huddle escalated, there was never an intention to harm or hurt other players, and no substantial injuries have been identified. Nonetheless, one student has been removed from the team and suspended from school as a result of his actions, and other students will lose playing time as a result of their actions.

“Students are being held accountable for the part they played in this incident as appropriate. We have worked as a team of administrators, staff, and students to develop a restorative plan of action to ensure that situations such as these never happen again. We are very fortunate to have a safety team in place including administration, counselors, social workers, and our SRO to support our students.

“HHS administration and staff, including our coaches, do not condone violent behavior or any behavior that can be construed as ‘hazing.’ Heritage High School prioritizes student safety and promotes a caring environment for students to thrive. Negative behavior is not tolerated and reported incidents are taken seriously.”

The Patriots football team opens its season at home Thursday at 7:30 p.m. against Elsinore.