Posted: Aug 13, 2015 3:39 PM EST
Updated: Aug 13, 2015 5:05 PM EST
By Katy Solt
AUGUSTA, GA (WFXG) – There are still many unanswered questions after a student came forward making hazing allegations against his new football teammates. Shakur Chisolm, a star running back who just transferred to Allendale-Fairfax High School, said he and other students were hazed at a summer camp for the football team, and now he wants answers as to why nothing was done.
So what are other schools and state organizations doing to make sure their students aren’t taking part in illegal activities?
A team is supposed to be a second family, a group of friends that will have your back and help out no matter what situation you get into. But what happens when the people who’re supposed to help you, hurt you?
Chisolm said he and other new players on the team were beaten with gloves, belts and fists as part of a team hazing ritual for the school football team.
In Augusta, Westside High School Football Coach Scott Tate said while the specifics on this case haven’t been fully released, hazing doesn’t just hurt one or two players, it hurts the entire team.
“Anytime you’re hazing like that, you’re not taking care of each other,” Tate said. “You want to build each other up, not bring each other down.”
Hazing allegations have not been brought forward in Richmond County, but at Westside, the coaches and players work together to make sure that doesn’t ever happen.
“One thing that we do is we talk to the kids all the time about doing things as a family, being a team, being together, taking care of each other,” Tate said. “You have to work together on the team, and that’s something that we build and we try to do.”
The Georgia High School Association (GHSA) and the South Carolina High School League (SCHSL) both list unsportsmanlike conduct policies on their websites, but neither have a hazing policy listed online. A representative for the SCHSL said the schools handle any cases, and if the league is notified, then they step in to help investigate.
With the school year barely underway, and the teams waiting for the first Friday night game, Tate said the important thing players need to remember is that a team is a family, and you always protect and help your family.
“As a team you’re working to win the game, to have the best season you can,” Tate said. “And if you’re pulling somebody down, you’re not doing that. You need to build each other up.”
Senaca Baines, the principal of Allendale-Fairfax High School, said he was notified of the allegations last Friday, and an investigation was immediately launched. The school is also working with the superintendent on this matter.