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In a recent development, a high school in Rhode Island has decided to terminate its football season following a disturbing incident where a 16-year-old allegedly attacked and whipped a student with special needs inside the locker room.
Video footage posted on X shows a student standing up in front of another student, who is kneeling on the ground, being whipped by the student and saying, “Say you’re sorry, I’m so sorry.”
During the incident, the victim can be heard apologizing, saying, “I’m so sorry,” in response to the aggressor’s demands.
The perpetrator, standing over the victim, insists, “No, I said, sorry, so sorry,” prompting the student to struggle as he tries to echo the words under duress while being whipped.
The aggressor continues to press, repeating, “I said, say, ‘Sorry, I’m so sorry.’ Say it!”
Meanwhile, other students present in the locker room are visible in the footage, passively observing the situation without intervening.
“I’m sorry,” the student kneeling says again, as the boy standing whips him again.
In response to the incident, Newport Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain sent a letter explaining that due to the “entirely unacceptable” roughhousing seen in the video, the school’s football season was being cancelled, according to The Providence Journal.
“This is a serious matter, and there is no grey area when it comes to behavior like this,” Jermain said. “Those involved will face appropriate disciplinary actions in accordance with our district policies.”
Police officers with the Newport Police Department confirmed that the 16-year-old student who is “shown in the video assaulting another student” had been “charged with two counts of assault on persons with severe impairments,” according to the outlet.
“The Newport Police Department emphasized that bullying will not be tolerated or condoned in our community,” the police department said, adding that “such acts will be investigated to the fullest extent.”
According to What’s Up Newp, in her letter to families, Jermain said while there was “somewhat of a practice” of roughhousing before games, “one of the players took this to an extreme level.”
“It has been brought to our attention that before football games, there is somewhat of a practice that includes ‘roughhousing’ and players hitting each other,” Jermain said. “One of the players took this to an extreme level that is entirely unacceptable. Even more disturbing, the video we have seen shows other players not intervening, or bringing this matter to the attention of an adult.”
