16 former University of Michigan hockey players have filed a lawsuit alleging graphic, systemic sexual hazing practices within the school’s hockey program.
“Men as young as 17 years old — new to adult life and in many cases dependent on hockey to access education at Michigan — were subjected to sexualized abuse that would be immediately recognized as torture under any other circumstance. The abuse was ritualized, meticulously planned, and sadistic,” states the lawsuit, which was filed on Wednesday, September 9, and obtained by the Detroit Free Press.
Among the allegations, the lawsuit claims players were stripped naked and forcibly had their genitals shaved and had the handles of razors were forcibly inserted into their anuses. Multiple players said they had their pubic hair singed by a blowtorch, while others said older players within the program tied helmets to the genitalia of younger players and filled the helmets with pucks.
The abuse allegedly occurred from 1984 to 2001. All 16 of the former players are listed as John Does in the lawsuit, which names the University of Michigan and its board of regents as defendants.
“Coaching staff concealed the nature of the abuse and misled the players by chiding the few players who complained to ‘be a Michigan man;’ that they were not being ‘good teammates;’ and even penalizing players with reduced ice time,” the lawsuit claims. “With the abuse condoned, and in some cases mandated, by trusted adults, the young men relied on their coaches to understand what was happening to them and believe that it was normal.”
The lawsuit further alleges that the “coaching staff made clear to players that participation in the sexualized abuse was a mandatory condition of playing hockey for Michigan.”
Red Berenson, the head coach at the University of Michigan from 1984 to 2017, addressed the lawsuit on Thursday.
“We knew there was a certain element of initiation on our team, and it was usually orchestrated by the seniors,” Berenson, 86, said in a statement to MLive. “We didn’t promote it. We didn’t question it. We didn’t encourage it.”
The University of Michigan issued a statement to Us about the lawsuit on Wednesday.
“The allegations outlined in the plaintiffs’ complaint are disturbing, but many elements of the complaint are misleading,” university spokesman Paul Corliss said. “The former student athletes, who attended the university more than 25 years ago, describe behavior at the hands of fellow teammates that allegedly happened in the 1980s and 1990s. To the extent any former student athlete engaged in hazing or other misconduct, they were violating university policy. The university denies that it is any way responsible or liable for the claims alleged.”
The statement continued, “The university first adopted an official anti-hazing policy in 1982. It was one of the first universities in the country to do so, and it has earned its standing as a leader in this area. Today, all university student athletes are required to complete annual training on university policies and protections against hazing, discrimination, and other forms of misconduct. We are committed to an environment of safety for all of our students.”
