CB West head coach issues statement prior to meeting on alleged hazing

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (WPVI) -- Central Bucks West High School head football coach Brian Hensel released a statement Tuesday afternoon, hours before a scheduled board meeting at the school concerning the hazing allegations that led to the cancelation the football season.

"I wholeheartedly agree that any allegation of hazing needs to be fully investigated, and that there should be zero tolerance for hazing at C.B. West. The health of our students - both physical and emotional - matters first and foremost," the statement read.

In the statement, Hensel says the allegations refer to a 20-minute period in the locker room two hours after the team completed a scrimmage. According to Hensel, at that time there was a parent-sponsored picnic for players and their families. Hansel says while coaches were invited to that picnic as guests, many departed after concluding their coaching duties and he was not present that day due to a family commitment.

"The notion that my coaching staff fostered a culture whereby lack of supervision and hazing was an ongoing norm is not just unfair, but patently false. It is my sincere hope that the investigation will reveal this truth," the statement read.

Hensel hopes the investigation will reveal that the incident was "a one-time, isolated incident - rather than a systemic hazing problem at C.B. West."

"While I unequivocally agree that one hazing incident is one too many, I also believe that if hazing was remotely suspected or an ongoing part of the culture of C.B. West Football, our coaches would have stopped it immediately and our parents wouldn't have casually picnicked yards away as their sons ambled in a locker room one summer afternoon," the statement read.

As for the waterboarding allegations that have been reported as part of this hazing investigation, Hensel says that did not occur.

"But it is important to note that waterboarding did not occur at C.B. West, as we understand the testimony provided by students thus far. Unfortunately, the term waterboarding has been used flippantly by many in the discussion of this situation with total disregard for its definition and its level of severity," the statement read.

Hensel says the students who participated in the alleged hazing "did so without thinking it was serious or harmful to their teammates." He says, "Like many young people do, they made mistakes."

Tonight is the first meeting of the school board since the decision to cancel the remainder of the CB West's football season.

The meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the high school.

Full Statement from Brian Hensel, Head Coach C.B. West Football

For more than two decades, I have had the great privilege of teaching in the Central Bucks School District, and for the past six years, I have had the honor of serving as the head football coach for the storied Central Bucks West football team. In both roles, I have relished the opportunity to mentor young people, witness their remarkable academic, athletic and social development, assist them in their challenges and celebrate their achievements. These are the daily rewards of a career I love more than life itself.

From the first day I began teaching and coaching, I have underscored the vital importance of honesty. That was the concrete foundation poured by my parents, and therefore, I have built my personal and professional reputation upon it. I expect honesty from my three children, and I expect it from my students, my coaches and my athletes. Honesty means communicating openly and transparently, and so in advance of the Central Bucks School Board Meeting this evening, I am offering my thoughts on what has been an exceptionally distressing time for the C.B. West
family.

Let me first state what's most important. I wholeheartedly agree that any allegation of hazing needs to be fully investigated, and that there should be zero tolerance for hazing at C.B. West. The health of our students - both physical and emotional - matters first and foremost.

The allegations of hazing that have surfaced purportedly occurred in a 20-minute window in C.B. West's locker room on Saturday, August 16 around 1p.m. -- almost two full hours after our team completed a scrimmage against Abington and concurrent with a parent-sponsored picnic for players and their families which ran from 12:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. While coaches were invited to that picnic as guests, many departed after concluding their coaching duties and post-game wrap-up with the team. As has been disclosed, I was not present that day due to a family commitment.

The letter outlining the suspension of our coaching staff states that there is currently an "investigation into the allegations of ongoing lack of supervision of the team and hazing events that took place a result." The notion that my coaching staff fostered a culture whereby lack of supervision and hazing was an ongoing norm is not just unfair, but patently false. It is my sincere hope that the investigation will reveal this truth.

It is also my sincere hope that the investigation will reveal that this alleged hazing was a one-time, isolated incident - rather than a systemic hazing problem at C.B. West. While I unequivocally agree that one hazing incident is one too many, I also believe that if hazing was remotely suspected or an ongoing part of the culture of C.B. West Football, our coaches would have stopped it immediately and our parents wouldn't have casually picnicked yards away as their sons ambled in a locker room one summer afternoon.

When I learned about the activity that allegedly occurred, I was disheartened. I struggled to understand why this behavior would seemingly come out of nowhere from a group of young men who never gave me any reason not to trust in them. In the past few days, I have done my fair share of fact-finding and research about what allegedly happened in those fateful 20 minutes last summer.

With strong emphasis, I will not make -- nor accept -- any excuse for any wrongful acts that took place in our locker room. But it is important to note that waterboarding did not occur at C.B. West, as we understand the testimony provided by students thus far. Unfortunately, the term waterboarding has been used flippantly by many in the discussion of this situation with total disregard for its definition and its level of severity.

I believe with every fiber of my being that if the young men of C.B. West Football - all of whom are inherently good young men - participated in these activities, they did so without thinking it was serious or harmful to their teammates. Like many young people do, they made mistakes. They had no malicious intent to hurt others. To my knowledge, they have accepted the punishment handed to them with maturity and respect for those who levied it.

As an educator, I believe that learning is a lifelong pursuit, and that mistakes provide some of life's most important lessons. I think there are many lessons for all parties involved in this past week's events. I certainly have learned from this, and I know my fellow coaches, our players, their parents and district officials have too.

There is no question that there could have been a benefit from in-depth training about how quickly the line between adolescent horseplay and hazing can be crossed. Such training should be incorporated into the C.B. West athletic program immediately.

I also believe that the truth always prevails, and it is my hope that through the pending investigation, the truth will help heal all those hurting in our C.B. West community and allow us to forge ahead.