The 11 high school lacrosse players accused of tying up a younger teammate in remote woodland as part of a hazing ritual last month regret their actions, their attorney said Thursday.
"Our clients and their families are devastated by the impact this incident has had on the Westhill community," Tom Cerio of Cerio Law Offices said in a statement. "These young men deeply regret their involvement in what began as a misguided attempt at a prank. They recognize that their actions were inappropriate, and do not minimize the fear and distress experienced by the other students."
All 11 players, students at Westhill High School in Syracuse, turned themselves in to the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office in Upstate New York on April 30, after deputies had given them 48 hours to surrender or face felony charges of kidnapping.
As a result, District Attorney Bill Fitzpatrick said last week that would receive appearance tickets for the less serious misdemeanor crime of unlawful imprisonment. They were not detained and will avoid criminal records.
Cerio said this clients appreciated the DA's approach to the matter and said discussions with him would continue. He added that he hoped that the young men — who have not been identified because of their age — are not subjected to "irreversible punishment" by the school district, media and local community.
"As with any case involving young people, we urge a balanced approach, one that includes appropriate consequences, while also providing an opportunity to make amends and grow from their mistakes," Cerio said.
The team's coach at Westhill, Aaron Cahill, said last week in a now-deleted LinkedIn post that that he had no prior knowledge of the boys' alleged hazing prank. Westhill Central School District Superintendent Steve Dunham said that the lacrosse season would be canceled in light of the incident.
Dunham said in a statement Thursday that the school was working through its own disciplinary process regarding the 11 players but couldn't legally share the details of individual cases.
