Cellphone footage captured in a Howard High School locker room sheds light on what unfolded Friday that resulted in seven junior varsity football players facing criminal charges and the program being suspended.
A student grabs at the corner of a locker room wall, while another struggles to pull him into another room. Other students have their cellphones out, recording the interaction and laughing. At one point, the student’s backpack is ripped off his back as another student steps in to lift him off the floor and carries him upside down.
Others in the locker room chant “toilet, toilet, toilet” in the video.
A second video shows the student on the ground after other students attempted to pull him by his legs and torso, pulling his shoe off.
Following the incident, seven players are facing second-degree assault charges and school officials suspended the junior varsity program.
Howard County police spokesperson Seth Hoffman confirmed the authenticity of the videos Thursday afternoon, adding that county police did not release it.
According to police, seven junior varsity football players ages 14-16 were charged with second-degree assault and referred to the state’s juvenile justice system.
Neither police nor the school disclosed details of the incident. An investigation is ongoing.
April Bridges told WMAR News that the students tried to put her son in a locker and the toilet. He went to a hospital after the incident, Bridges added.
“It’s heartbreaking; it’s really a true nightmare to endure this,” Bridges said to WMAR. “They tried to stuff him in a locker. Then they tried to dump him in the toilet. Everybody’s in the locker room staring around with their cameras, laughing and chanting.”
Bridges did not respond to attempts by The Banner to reach her.
Saniya Ducksworth, a Howard High sophomore, was shocked by what happened. She said teachers are avoiding speaking about the topic at school and telling students not to talk about it.
The 15-year-old said the students should face expulsion.
“You can’t be that incredibly cruel to someone else and move on with life and be OK with it,” she said.
Brandon Lauer, Howard High’s athletics and activities manager, varsity football coach Ross Hannon and junior varsity football coach Justin Guy did not respond to requests for comment. The Lions JV squad had a 1-3 record before the program was suspended. The varsity team is 4-0.
Principal Allen Cosentino wrote in a Monday email to families that, because the incident involves students under 18 and is under investigation, details are limited.
Ben Schmitt, president of the Howard County Education Association, declined to comment. A representative of the Howard Lions’ Pride, the school’s booster club, also declined to speak about the incident.
Howard’s JV football team is scheduled to play Long Reach High School on Monday.
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