Seamons V. Snow Case Study
Introduction
Although many people look at hazing incidents as a tradition or big joke, it is dangerous and unacceptable behavior. There is a lot that can be done to prevent hazing. Raising awareness that it is wrong is crucial in preventing such incidents as the one in the Seamons v. Snow case. Coaches who consider potential issues before they occur will be better prepared to meet their legal duties (Gaskin, L., 1993).
Background
On October 11, 1993 Brian Seamons, a high school football player for Sky View High School in Utah, was grabbed by his teammates as he exited the locker room shower and bound to a towel rack. Seamons was naked and his teammates taped him and invited his ex-girlfriend into the locker room to look at him. Brian …show more content…
They met with Snow two days after the assault occurred to discuss whether Seamons would press criminal charges and whether Snow would take disciplinary action against the teammates involved in the assault/hazing. Snow told them that he did not have intentions of removing any of the assailants from the team and asked Seamons to meet with the team captains, who had participated in the assault, to clear up any bad feelings. Seamons was told by his teammates that he had betrayed the team by reporting the incident. Coach Snow then told Seamons that he needed to to “forgive and forget.” He advised Seamons to apologize to the team for making the report before he played again. When Seamons told Coach Snow that he would not apologize, Snow said that his attitude was unacceptable and that he was no longer a member of the football team. School officials cancelled the last playoff game due to the incident. Seamons was forced to move to a different school due to the hostile environment created by the cancellation of the game. He filed a lawsuit against Coach Snow and the Cache School District. He …show more content…
If Seamons proves his case against Snow, he also has a cause of action against the Cache School District because they gave Snow full authority to make final determinations about team membership. Neither Snow nor the district will qualify for immunity because the law was clear that school officials could not penalize a student for speech that is non-disruptive, non-obscene, and not school-sponsored (Seamons v. Snow,
Although many people look at hazing incidents as a tradition or big joke, it is dangerous and unacceptable behavior. There is a lot that can be done to prevent hazing. Raising awareness that it is wrong is crucial in preventing such incidents as the one in the Seamons v. Snow case. Coaches who consider potential issues before they occur will be better prepared to meet their legal duties (Gaskin, L., 1993).
Background
On October 11, 1993 Brian Seamons, a high school football player for Sky View High School in Utah, was grabbed by his teammates as he exited the locker room shower and bound to a towel rack. Seamons was naked and his teammates taped him and invited his ex-girlfriend into the locker room to look at him. Brian …show more content…
They met with Snow two days after the assault occurred to discuss whether Seamons would press criminal charges and whether Snow would take disciplinary action against the teammates involved in the assault/hazing. Snow told them that he did not have intentions of removing any of the assailants from the team and asked Seamons to meet with the team captains, who had participated in the assault, to clear up any bad feelings. Seamons was told by his teammates that he had betrayed the team by reporting the incident. Coach Snow then told Seamons that he needed to to “forgive and forget.” He advised Seamons to apologize to the team for making the report before he played again. When Seamons told Coach Snow that he would not apologize, Snow said that his attitude was unacceptable and that he was no longer a member of the football team. School officials cancelled the last playoff game due to the incident. Seamons was forced to move to a different school due to the hostile environment created by the cancellation of the game. He filed a lawsuit against Coach Snow and the Cache School District. He …show more content…
If Seamons proves his case against Snow, he also has a cause of action against the Cache School District because they gave Snow full authority to make final determinations about team membership. Neither Snow nor the district will qualify for immunity because the law was clear that school officials could not penalize a student for speech that is non-disruptive, non-obscene, and not school-sponsored (Seamons v. Snow,