All of the coaches for the Olentangy Orange High School girls' soccer team have been placed on administrative leave, and several girls have been kicked off of the soccer team while the school district
opens an investigation into an alleged hazing incident.
According to a prepared statement issued late the afternoon of Oct. 2 by Olentangy School Superintendent Todd Meyer, the district has opened another investigation into the alleged hazing incident and has placed coaching staff on administrative leave pending the outcome. Several high school seniors allegedly involved in the hazing have also been kicked off the soccer team, according to a source with knowledge of the incident who spoke to The Dispatch.
Meyer said the school district became aware of the alleged hazing on Sept. 16, when a district teacher alerted officials to a rumor involving the Olentangy Orange High School girls' soccer team over the summer. No parent, student or anyone else had previously reported the allegation, Meyer said.
"We want to be clear that we have zero tolerance for hazing within our schools," Meyer said. "It is disappointing that the students’ activity was apparently planned by the players in advance and took place in the driveway of the home of a district parent, yet no one involved or aware reported it. All of us have a responsibility to speak up when something is not right."
Videos of the alleged hazing incident reviewed by The Dispatch show several of the high school seniors made the players take their pants off and wear adult-sized diapers, zip-tied their wrists and wrapped their arms to their chests with plastic wrap. The girls also wore diapers on their heads and goggles covered in duct tape over their eyes.
The younger team members were force-fed raw hot dogs and sardines, piled into cars, driven around town, and sprayed with Silly String, shaving cream and glitter. Seniors asked their younger teammates sexually explicit questions.
This is a breaking news story. Check back at Dispatch.com for more updates.
Reporter Shahid Meighan can be reached at smeighan@dispatch.com, at ShahidMeighan on X, and at shahidthereporter.dispatch.com on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Olentangy Orange girls soccer coaches placed on leave amid hazing probe
