Multiple football players for a Knoxville-area high school have been charged with misdemeanors connected to a hazing incident, according to a report from the Knoxville News Sentinel, part of the USA TODAY Network.
Tyler Whetstone and Caitlyn Meisner, both of the Knoxville News Sentinel, reported on Wednesday, Nov. 4, that "numerous" football players from Farragut High (Knoxville, TN) had been charged with misdemeanor assault in connection to the hazing incident, while two students were also charged with misdemeanor harrassment.
Come Thursday, Anthony Nicotera, also of the Knoxville News Sentinel, reported that the Knox County Sheriff's Office confirmed a total of 10 students had been charged.
Both reports noted only one of the players charged was
a senior while the rest were freshmen. A school resource officer, who is also a KCSO deputy, handled the investigation after the student's mother reported it to the school on Nov. 2.
KCSO spokesperson Justin Pratt told the Knoxville News Sentinel the incident was the result of "teenage stupidity."
No arrests were made in connection to the charges, and the school is set to handle all suspensions while the cases themselves will head to juvenile court.
News of the charges came a day after Farragut football coach Geoff Courtney announced his resignation from the school after three seasons. Knoxville News Sentinel reporter Wynton Jackson reported on Wednesday that Courtney knew of the hazing incident that occurred on Oct. 30.
"After the football game, I was made aware of the situation that occurred, an incident that occurred at the end of the school day on Friday before the game," Courtney told the Knoxville News Sentinel. "That report was sent from the guardian to myself, our athletic director, our principal, and our grade-level principal. We sent that on to Knox County Sherriff's Office, and they began their investigation first thing on Monday."
Despite the parent reporting the incident to the school on Nov. 2 and Courtney announcing his resignation a day later, he noted that his decision was not connected to the hazing incident and he met with seniors before announcing the decision publicly.
The hazing incident was reportedly not mentioned at the time.
"The timing of it is not ideal, but ultimately my decision to resign has been performance-based and my own personal decision of what I think is best for this program and myself," Courtney told the Knoxville News Sentinel. "It had nothing to do with the incident that occurred. I've not been put on leave. I've not been forced out. It's totally a decision I reached over the weekend while all this was going on."
Follow Sports Reporter Joe Spears on X at @joe_spears7 or via email: JSpears@usatodayco.com. For additional high school sports coverage, be sure to follow USA TODAY High School Sports on Instagram and X.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tennessee high school football players facing misdemeanor charges after hazing incident
