Boston youth team accused of covering up violent, racist and homophobic acts

Longtime Boston Globe investigative reporter Bob Hohler published a shocking report this past weekend that implicates dozens of individuals in the cover up of alleged violent, racist and homophobic acts enabled and perpetrated by a Danvers, Mass high school hockey team.

Hohler reports that in June, 2020 a male youth player reported to police and school officials that two of his teammates were restrained and then beaten in the face with a plastic sex toy because he refused to participate in the team's outwardly racist pre-game locker room rituals.

From Hohler's column for The Boston Globe:

The sessions were known on the team as “Hard R Fridays,” the “R” referring to the final letter of the n-word, according to the player and other individuals who separately learned about the team’s alleged tradition.

The player later reported the incident to a special investigator commissioned by the Danvers School Committee. He also told school officials, police, and the special investigator that a player touched him inappropriately after the team stripped naked in another locker room ritual known as “Gay Tuesdays,” according to the player and three other people who were with him when he made his statements to investigators.

What’s more, more than half of the 2019-20 hockey team allegedly participated in a disturbing group text chat laced with deeply offensive words and images. In a transcript obtained by the Globe, one text made a crass joke about how Jews were murdered during the Holocaust, while numerous others included videos making light of the violent deaths of Black people, and one mocked an image of a Black Danvers High student, suggesting he was being lynched.

Incredibly though, the public has not been made aware of these allegations until Hohler's report hit the news stands on Saturday. That's because, Hohler contends, the team's head coach was none other than Danvers police sergeant Stephen Baldassare. In short, school officials and the Danvers police department are alleged to have covered up the allegations so as to now disgrace Baldassare. It's worth noting that Baldassare has since resigned as the team's head coach.

More from Hohler's report:

On the “Gay Tuesday” when he was allegedly touched inappropriately, the player said, he complied with ringleaders who instructed teammates to strip naked. He said he had previously seen players who refused to undress be forcibly stripped.

Describing the ritual, the player said, “The lights go off, then people go around touching people, and when the lights come back on, you have to guess who’s touching you.”

He said he was touched on the buttocks, but could not see the person in the darkness. He characterized the experience as foolish, and intrusive.

“I guess some people were having fun with it,” he said. “But it seemed a hundred percent like hazing.”

On “Hard R Fridays,” team members allegedly approached players and commanded them to shout the n-word. The alleged victim said he had seen teammates who refused to obey be held down and beaten with a plastic sex toy called “The Pink Dragon” until it left an imprint on their faces, which is what he said happened to him that January.

 The alleged victim in these allegations reportedly does not want to press charges against his former coach or his former teammates, but is coming forward anonymously in the hopes that the adults responsible for these children's actions are held accountable. The Danvers Police Department, meanwhile, have maintained that an investigation into the matter was completed that revealed there was "no criminal behavior" involved.

The alleged victim said he was stunned at the lack of accountability and the reports put forth by both school officials and the police department.

“I was like, are you kidding me?” the alleged victim said. “Someone is dropping the ball here.”

Baldassare was placed on administrative leave for the first 10 games of the 2020-21 season, while under investigation. When he returned for the final three games, Baldassare wrote a letter to the team's players pledging to improve the program’s culture.

“I have learned from this experience and we will focus on creating a positive, supportive, respectful, and inclusive team environment for seasons to come,” he wrote.

Baldassare has since resigned and it appears that this story will end without a smoking gun, unless more players stand up to share their side of things.