Florida A&M drum major Robert Champion dies after suspected hazing incident, family to sue

By: Crimesider Staff
Topics: Daily Blotter

(Credit: istockphoto)

(CBS/AP) MIAMI, Fla. - An attorney said the family of Florida A&M University drum major Robert Champion is suing the school after he passed Saturday in a suspected hazing accident.

Attorney Christopher Chestnut said the family will spend the holiday weekend planning their loved one's funeral.

Chestnut said Champion's family hopes filing a lawsuit against the school will help raise awareness around the problem of band hazing.

Champion, 26, was found on a bus in Orlando Saturday night after the school's football team lost to a rival. According to police, Champion had been vomiting and complained that he couldn't breathe night before he collapsed.

Police say they think some form of hazing was going on before someone called 911 the night of his death. Chestnut said he believes the injuries his client sustained were consistent with hazing.

The cause of the drummer's death has not been determined. Preliminary autopsy results were inconclusive. It could also take up to three months to figure out exactly what killed him, a spokesperson for the Orange County medical examiner's office said.

After Champion's death, the school stopped the marching band's and music department's performances. The next day, longtime band director Julian White was fired and Florida Gov. Rick Scott said the state investigators would join the case.

The university has announced an independent review led by a former state attorney general.

The is not the first time hazing cases have appeared in marching bands, especially at historically black colleges where a marching band spot is something to be coveted almost as much as a spot on the sports team itself.

"This is not an isolated incident," said Chestnut.

According to reports, there have been multiple cases at FAMU, including one in 2001, where Marcus Parker suffered kidney damage after being beaten by a paddle.

Any death involving hazing is a third-degree felony in Florida.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the school could not be reached Friday morning for a comment.

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by gatorb82 December 5, 2011 9:26 AM EST: Could it be that he ate something he was allergic to before his illness? Perhaps he had undiagnosed allergies. Or maybe he ate food with bacteria in it prior to the event, but didn't experience the inability to breathe before the vomiting. I don't understand why they think this is hazing. Why would the band haze him? He is already a drum major and no one knew, except school authorities, that he was being promoted soon to Head Drum Major since it was not announced yet, I am interested to see the REAL cause of death determined by the Medical Examiner. I agree that the family and police are quick to jump to conclusions. It is terrible that he died, & may he rest in peace.; Reply to this comment

by pak31 November 26, 2011 7:25 PM EST

Whew. I am glad that I wasn't the only person confused by this article and the actions of the people involved. I agree with michael that one would think you'd get the autopsy results back before filing a lawsuit. Sad for this man, but he was 26, smart enough to know better than to let people haze you. But I won't get into that considering we don't even know what really happened yet.

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by aChangeOfIdeas November 26, 2011 9:53 PM EST: My thoughts exactly. The band director was already fired, and they don't actually know why the young man died. Seems like they want to place blame on someone when they don't even know if anyone IS to blame yet.
Hazing? He was the drum major... that doesn't sound like hazing to me but what do I know, I was never drum major.


by gdool12 November 26, 2011 3:09 AM EST: This is just poor journalism. The only connection this case has to hazing, according to this article, is that "police" (we don't know who) apparently think "some form of hazing" was involved, but fail to elaborate, and that the family's attorney believes his client's injuries indicate hazing (again with absolutely no allusion to how these conclusions are being drawn). Despite this, the entire article becomes focused on hazing because it's a hot-button issue.

Is the lawyer, perhaps the least objective perspective possible, seriously the only person of authority you could get a quote from on this story? Step your game up, CBS.; Reply to this comment


by Michael_Atlanta November 25, 2011 4:34 PM EST: Well, that certainly didn't take long. Wouldn't it be more prudent to wait for the autopsy to be completed before jumping straight into a lawsuit?; Reply to this comment