16 former University of Michigan hockey players allege hazing, sexualized abuse in program
Sixteen former University of Michigan men's hockey players were subjected to hazing and sexualized abuse as first-year members of the program, according to a federal lawsuit against the university and its board of regents.
The complaint was filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and alleges sex and gender discrimination in violation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. All 16 plaintiffs are identified only as "John Doe." They played for the Ann Arbor school between 1984 and 2001.
The 74-page complaint describes behavior that it says "would be immediately recognized as torture under any other circumstance."
"This lawsuit seeks justice and accountability for the abuse our clients experienced as members of the University of Michigan men's hockey program and the institutional failures that allowed that abuse to occur. Given the sensitive nature of the allegations, our priority throughout this case is protecting our clients' wishes for privacy as they litigate these matters through the court and directly with the University of Michigan," a statement from the firm Pitt McGehee Palmer Bonanni and Rivers read.
The hazing allegations
The 74-page complaint details several instances of first-year hockey players forced to participate in unwanted activities. The incidents cited in the lawsuit included players urged to drink excessive amounts of alcohol, players forced to ingest live goldfish, veteran players pelting eggs at the newer players, and multiple incidents involving exposure of their genitals to others. Immediate reactions during those instances include vomiting, insomnia and nightmares, the lawsuit claims.
The long-term effects included depression, anxiety and substance abuse later in life, according to the lawsuit.
The targeted students were as young as 17 at the time of the incidents, the lawsuit said, with most relying on hockey scholarships to pay for their education at the University of Michigan.
In 2012, then-head coach Red Berenson announced the end of freshman hazing, according to news articles cited in the lawsuit. But "he could have stopped it well before 2012," the lawsuit claims.
What led up to the lawsuit
As the lawsuit explains, some former teammates talked among themselves in 2024 with memories of the hazing, and one of them started researching the history of the initiation practices.
University of Michigan response
In response to the lawsuit, a university spokesperson issued the following statement on Thursday:
"The allegations outlined in the plaintiffs' complaint are disturbing, but many elements of the complaint are misleading.
"The former student athletes, who attended the university more than 25 years ago, describe behavior at the hands of fellow teammates that allegedly happened in the 1980s and 1990s. To the extent any former student athlete engaged in hazing or other misconduct, they were violating university policy. The university denies that it is any way responsible or liable for the claims alleged.
"The university first adopted an official anti-hazing policy in 1982. It was one of the first universities in the country to do so, and it has earned its standing as a leader in this area. Today, all university student athletes are required to complete annual training on university policies and protections against hazing, discrimination, and other forms of misconduct. We are committed to an environment of safety for all of our students."
