After months of quiet, internal investigations, the Gull Lake Community Schools District confirmed to WWMT News Channel 3 that multiple Title IX probes have been made against the Gull Lake High School football team following hazing allegations from a training camp earlier this summer.
The school district alongside Michigan State Police have been investigating the incidents that took place in Oceana County, Mich., in June. Head coach Jalon Simpson has spent the summer on paid, non-disciplinary administrative leave.
Earlier this month, Gull Lake announced it would be canceling its football season as the investigation continues. School officials claimed there were not enough student-athletes to safely field a team.
Interim head football coach Josh Cunningham said, “I met with a group of varsity players who shared significant concerns about the upcoming season, including their confidence in our ability to compete successfully and concerns about their personal safety. After much consideration and conversations among themselves, they have made the decision not to continue with the team this season.”
However, not everyone was ready to throw in the season. The Gull Lake Board of Trustees approved an emergency co-op team on Monday, allowing Gull Lake students to compete on the Parchment High School varsity football team. Should they choose to move to the co-op team, the student-athletes could begin practice as soon as Thursday and they would compete all season as Parchment Panthers.
“It’s a terrible situation that happened,” said Parchment athletics director Brennan Davis as he defended the Gull Lake student-athletes. “But I can tell you that I was there, these kids were supervised, this stuff did not go down the way that it’s being portrayed.”
Despite Davis’s assurances regarding the summer training camp, the school district and state police will continue their investigation. “There remains a significant amount of evidence, including documentation, that investigators must review and evaluate,” MPS said. “The investigation remains ongoing.”
The co-op program between Parchment and Gull Lake will only apply to varsity players. Gull Lake will still field a junior varsity football team.
