Nine basketball players at Lehigh Senior High School have been suspended and banned from playing for the rest of the season, including Wednesday’s district semifinals, after video surfaced showing them participating in an explicit rap video.
The video involving the students was shot after school hours, according to a WINK-TV report. It contains expletives and “sexually suggestive lyrics” according to the report.
Originally, the nine boys involved were suspended for two days, but the punishment has increased since then, while many are protesting the decision.
“They don’t get in trouble outside of school nor do they get in trouble inside of school and this one incident come and you just take it overboard,” said Desiree McDonald, who has two sons suspended. “They made a mistake as a child. They’re not adults. And yes they do have to learn from their mistakes but I feel like they’ve learned from the mistake that they made and I don’t feel like either one of those kids would do that again.”
Parents are worried that the punishment could put their sons’ possibilities for college scholarships in jeopardy, as it will take them away from games at which scouts might be present.
The school has maintained that the punishments are in line with its prescribed Level II disciplinary actions, which include “loss of eligibility for extracurricular activities” and “out of school suspension.”