Three high school basketball players in Tennessee have been charged with raping and assaulting a teammate in an apparent hazing incident, officials said.
Gatlinburg police said in a statement that the players were charged Monday in the incident, which occurred last week at a rental cabin.
The statement said staff at LeConte Medical Center called officers Dec. 23 after a young man who had been assaulted was brought there by his basketball coach.
The victim was sent to University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, where he underwent surgery due to his extensive injuries, the statement said.
Police say the boy was in Gatlinburg for a tournament with teammates from Ooltewah High School in Hamilton County.
Ooltewah High School Athletic Director Jesse Nayadley told the Chattanooga Times Free Press that the three older players involved in the apparent hazing incident have been dismissed from the team.
“We can’t give names because they’re under 18 years of age, and since we’re out of school for the holidays, we haven’t met yet to determine how they will be punished at school. But as far as athletically, those three young men are no longer a part of the Ooltewah basketball team,” he said.
Police said the teammates have been charged as juveniles. Their names weren’t released.