Two Rhode Island high school football players were arrested after allegedly attacking a classmate with severe impairments, prompting school officials to cancel the remainder of the season, police said.
One 16-year-old student from Rogers High School in Newport was charged Friday with assault following reports that he attacked the victim on two separate occasions. Authorities say a video shows him repeatedly hitting the student in the boys’ locker room in front of teammates.
A second 16-year-old was arrested Saturday and charged with assaulting the same student. Newport Public Schools Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain said the assault occurred before a football game during what some players described as “roughhousing.”
Footage reportedly shows other players failing to intervene or alert an adult. “One of the players took this to an extreme level that is entirely unacceptable,” Jermain said, noting that the lack of intervention by peers is “even more disturbing.”
After meetings with the principal, coach, and athletic director, the school decided to end the football season immediately. Jermain emphasized, “This is a serious matter, and there is no gray area when it comes to behavior like this. Those involved will face disciplinary action under district policies.”
She added, “Locker room roughhousing may have been tolerated in the past, but today it is not. Our athletes must understand, as leaders and representatives of our community, that this behavior will never be tolerated at Newport Public Schools.”
The Newport Police Department confirmed the investigation is ongoing but said state law prevents them from releasing the names of the students involved.