A New Jersey high school has canceled the rest of its football season amid allegations of hazing, officials say.
The announcement was made at a private meeting held for the Sayreville High School team's parents Monday night.
"This is a very sad day here in Sayreville," Superintendent of Schools Dr. Richard Labbe said in a statement to reporters after the meeting.
Labbe said there was enough evidence to substantiate the allegations of harassment and intimidation at the center of a separate criminal investigation by police and prosecutors.
The incidents took place "on a pervasive level, on a wide-scale level, and at a level in which the players knew, tolerated and in general accepted," he said.
Labbe said canceling the season sends a clear message that the behavior won't be tolerated. No players have been suspended.
"This district and this board of education is making a unified stance to say 'no.' No to bullying," said Labbe.
The Middlesex County Prosecutor said Friday it was investigating a report that seniors on the team hazed freshmen in various forms, some of which could be considered sexual assault.
Sayreville High School's football team, one of New Jersey's top programs, already forfeited multiple games amid the hazing accusations, including last Thursday night's big showdown with South Brunswick.
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Parents, mostly of football players, met with school officials Friday and expressed frustration that many players they felt were innocent were being unfairly punished.
Meanwhile, police are also investigating assistant football coach Charlie Garcia, 38, after they found more than two boxes of steroids and more than a dozen syringes during a traffic stop late last month.
-- Brynn Gingras contributed to this report.
