Sodomy Shocker At N.Y. High School

A Long Island school board has voted to end a high school football team's season amid allegations that some players were sexually assaulted by older teammates at a training camp.

The Bellmore-Merrick school board decided at a Wednesday night closed-door meeting to cancel all of the Mepham High School football team's games, Newsday reported in Thursday editions.

Three varsity players, ages 15, 16 and 17, allegedly sodomized three junior varsity players with a broomstick, pine cones and golf balls while other players watched, the newspaper reported.

The alleged assaults took place at Camp Wayne in Preston Park, Pa., where about 60 Mepham High School players and five coaches spent a week last month.

Newsday said Pennsylvania state police were investigating the allegations. No charges have been filed. The three accused players have been suspended from the team, but not from school, pending the outcome of a district investigation.

School officials and players have said the coaches did not know about the incidents until one of the victims' parents reported it to the school principal several days after the team had returned.

The school board found that many of the team's players violated the district's code of conduct by not reporting the alleged abuse, Newsday said.