School officials have suspended seven players from one of B.C.’s top-ranked high school boys basketball teams for “very negative conduct” during a weekend road trip in Edmonton.
The players from W. J. Mouat Secondary in Abbotsford were at the Mike Dea Classic tournament from Dec. 5 to 7 when the alleged misbehaviour took place.
“The incidents that happened on this trip were certainly in contravention of the district’s code of conduct, and as such we’re taking this extremely seriously,” said Abbotsford School District spokesman Dave Stephen. "There was some very negative conduct."
The district would not say what allegedly took place, or confirm social media posts that suggest some of the players were hazing others on the trip.
Stephen did confirm the incident only involved players from from the W. J. Mouat Hawks, which is currently fourth in the province's AAAA rankings.
The students are scheduled to appear before a review board after classes resume in January and could face further punishments.
“That’s when the outcome will be decided on what will happen with the students’ future,” Stephen said.
Three players will go to a review board at the school level, while the others are facing a district board, suggesting the allegations against them are more serious.
Officials said all seven could be kicked off the basketball team, suspended further, or expelled and forced to finish their educations at an alternative school under heavy supervision.
Edmonton Police said told CTV News they are not currently investigating the allegations.
With a report from CTV British Columbia’s Penny Daflos
