WYNCOTE, Pa. (WPVI) — Cheltenham High School’s football season was temporarily suspended on Friday following an anonymous tip alleging hazing among players, prompting an external investigation by the school district.
The decision came just two hours before the team was scheduled to play its senior night game against Truman High School at Springfield Township High School. The sudden cancellation left students and families stunned.
“This is my family. These are my brothers. I’ve been around them my whole life. I love these boys,” said junior Brian Palmer-King. “Senior night – two hours. It was two hours. They cancelled it. That’s crazy.”
Senior Joelynn Eldridge said the impact went beyond the football team.
“Not just cheerleaders, color guard, band – it wasn’t just a football senior night. It was all of us,” Eldridge said.
Parents also expressed frustration over the abrupt decision.
“We bought signs, we made banners. People flying in from California, parents coming in from New York, spending money,” said Liz Karras of Cheltenham Township.
“It’s people’s family members that came out here. They probably can’t come back again,” added senior Maqui Fairel.
In a letter late Friday afternoon, the Cheltenham School District said it received anonymous information regarding alleged hazing within the football program. Superintendent Dr. Brian Scriven said the decision was tough but necessary.
“The information came to me late, which gave me limited time in terms of when I let families, the school etc know. Whenever you have any allegations of potential hazing, as a superintendent, I have to take that seriously,” Scriven said. “I had to make a hard decision based on very limited information. I have to always err on the side of caution and safety of every student.”
Parents and students gathered outside the school on Friday night after Scriven met with the football team. The specific details of the allegations have not been disclosed.
Associate head coach DJ McFadden denied the claims.
“None of that stuff is true. It didn’t happen. Our kids are different. They don’t get into those types of things,” McFadden said.
Players say this is just the latest in a season full of challenges, including the loss of their coach over the summer and issues with their home field.
“They fired our coach mid-summer. They told us we were gonna play on our field – we haven’t had a field since last year,” said junior Chaz Moore.
Concerning the hazing allegations, Dr. Scriven said the district is conducting an expedited investigation. A meeting with students and parents is scheduled at the school for Saturday morning.
“We’re just going to make sure we do everything we need to do so we can get our season back. That’s just the bottom line,” McFadden said.
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