Former hockey players at University of Michigan sue, say they were sexually abused decades ago
NBC News • • sports
Key Points:
- Sixteen former University of Michigan hockey players have filed a federal lawsuit alleging ritualized sexual hazing, including forced genital shaving and other abuses, occurred between 1984 and 2001.
- The lawsuit claims that coach Red Berenson and other staff were aware of the abuse but failed to intervene, with Berenson allegedly coercing players to participate by appealing to team loyalty.
- The university described the allegations as disturbing but denied responsibility, emphasizing its longstanding anti-hazing policy implemented since 1982.
- The complaint details extreme hazing practices such as excessive alcohol consumption, eating live fish, and being taunted with a blowtorch, highlighting a culture of sadistic abuse.
- Berenson, who coached from 1984 to 2017, denied encouraging or directing hazing, acknowledging only minor initiation rituals and announcing an end to freshman hazing in 2012.
