Maybe the 16-year old from Bunnell High School in Connecticut was just trying to traumatize his 17-year-old teammate enough while pinned so he would never let himself get turned on his back on a wrestling mat again. It ended up getting him arrested for fourth-degree sexual assault.
"The 17-year-old victim was wrestling with another teammate, police said, when he allegedly heard the defendant tell his opponent to pin him to the mat. While the victim was pinned on his back, police said, the defendant approached, bent down and exposed his genitals in the victim's face."
Deadspin has an entertaining take on this bizarre and unsettling story. While there is some humor involved, in a sophomoric sense, I think the perpetrator deserves severe punishment for this.
As much as it might entertain his teammates, forcibly shoving one's genitals into another person's face (allegedly) isn't something to just laugh about and shrug off. This is more than just boys will be boys.
High school sports can bring out the best in young men and women, but they can also end up allowing their immature sides to shine through. You see it with hazing incidents all the time. Kids want to impress their peers and can do clownish and in some cases hurtful things in order to get a laugh.
Every student should feel welcome and comfortable enough to participate in scholastic sports. These court proceedings for this Connecticut high-schooler provide an opportunity to show how important it is to live up to that ideal and hold others accountable who work to corrupt it.
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