A New York high school has suspended the remainder of its varsity football season after a “rap battle” between teammates turned into a locker room fight last month, according to a report.
Newburgh Free Academy’s promising season in the Hudson Valley was canceled this week before the Goldbacks played Middletown in the Section 9 Class AA semifinals. The Middletown Times Herald-Record reported Tuesday.
A source told the team’s outlet players became involved in a “rap battle”, in which teammates insulted each other, but things quickly got out of control.
The players started throwing chairs at each other, due to which a student was seriously injured. Sources tell ABC 7.
The newspaper reported that several teammates intervened during the clash.
Only the players directly involved with the showdown were suspended by head coach Bill Bianco, before more players were also barred from playing for being in the locker room during the kerfuffle.
“It was literally not a multiple incident,” the source told the Times Herald Record.
The source claimed that school officials did not let the issue rest and launched an internal investigation at Newburgh’s main campus and another school campus without alerting the coaching staff.
The coaching staff then faced suspension and the coaches of the junior varsity and freshman programs were expected to step down before playoff games were canceled, the source said.
“Unfortunately, due to the circumstances, the remainder of the football season has been canceled,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jacqueline Manning Campbell told parents in a letter Tuesday, according to the Times Herald Record.
“While I regret this outcome, it is a necessary step as we continue to gather information, support those who have been affected, and ensure accountability for those involved.”
The Newburgh Free Academy school head told ABC 7 last week that his team is taking allegations about the incident “extremely seriously” after being made aware of a possible code of conduct breach on October 25.
“As part of my oversight of the investigation, I will ensure that the details of the investigation guide the next steps and decision-making process,” Campbell said. “These allegations are serious and this matter requires our serious attention.”
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