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A suburban Chicago community is reeling as a high school football hazing scandal has spilled its way into the courts.
Parents of two students are suing the Lake Zurich school district, claiming the district, coaches and school officials allowed ""acts of hazing and bullying to occur within the team locker room, including forcing teammates to strip naked and forced un-consensual sexual assault."
The lawsuit was reported NBC TV-5 in Chicago.
The district said it could not comment on a pending lawsuit, but the lawyer representing the parents released a blistering statement. Attorney Antonio Romanucci from Romanucci & Blandin said:
"The emotional and physical abuse that these current and former student athletes were forced to endure is unspeakable. These inappropriate acts were clearly done without an understanding by the students of the long-term effects and ramification that would ensue. Equally as disturbing is the lack of oversight by the football team's coaches and the school administrators who turned a blind eye and ignored established policies and principles against hazing and bullying."
The lawsuit claims officials at Lake Zurich High School allowed "acts of hazing and bullying to occur within the team locker room, including forcing teammates to strip naked and forced un-consensual sexual assault."
The lawsuit alleged two incidents. First, the lawsuit claims that in September 2016, a team member was forced to strip naked in the shower while team members urinated on him. In another incident, roughly a month later, two team mates allegedly performed a sexual act one of three team mates. The specific act was redacted from the lawsuit.
The lawsuit also claims hazing goes back 20 years
The situation has already had fallout. The Chicago Tribune reported the head football coach has resigned.
Update: Head football coach also resigns after alleged locker room hazing scandal in Lake Zurich https://t.co/a0rbcp4q4Y pic.twitter.com/D9JA9t917P
— Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) January 13, 2017
