A jury in Spokane (Wash.) County awarded $17 million in damages to two former Mead High School student-athletes who experienced sexual and racial hazing while traveling at a football team training camp.
The camp took place in June 2023 at Eastern Washington University. There Mead football players stayed in student dorms for several nights. During the trip, one student told KREM2, “the alleged assaults started off with some hazing, which went from verbal and racial remarks all the way up to an assault or multiple assaults.”
Each assault was recorded, and the video was shared among teammates and other students from Mead High School. Some allege that even coaches were shown the video of the hazing incident during which white upperclassmen targeted the younger Black student-athletes.
The assaults were reported in 2024, and five students were charged with fourth-degree assault in criminal court. Later, Mead football head coach Keith Stamps was fired, with student-athletes and families alleging he knew about the incident but reported nothing.
Related: Fired HS Football Coach Failed to Report Student Hazing, Assault
According to KHQ, the $17 million award from the civil suit will be split between the two former student-athletes and their families.
In a statement following the jury’s decision, the Mead School District said, “The jury has reached its verdict, and we respect the process that led to this outcome. We are deeply mindful that two former students and their families have been harmed, and that acknowledgement will always come before anything else we might say. This matter has had a significant impact on those involved, their families and our school community. We remain committed to the ongoing process of improving as a result of what we’ve learned from these events. Our primary focus is to ensure that every student in our district is safe, supported and protected.”
