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BC parts ways with swim and dive coaches, extends team suspension after hazing inquiry
A Boston College spokesperson confirmed that four of the swimming and diving team's coaches are out after an inquiry into hazing allegations.
Boston College extended the suspension of its swimming and diving program through August and parted ways with four of the team’s coaches after an internal investigation corroborated reports of hazing over Labor Day weekend.
The team had been on indefinite suspension since September following allegations that team members encouraged freshmen to binge drink, with some students vomiting into bags they were instructed to wear around their necks during an event.
An investigation into those hazing reports also highlighted “recurring conduct issues and a team culture that has failed to meet the expectations Boston College holds for its student-athletes,” the university said in a statement.
Previously:
According to BC, an unspecified number of team members faced disciplinary action last month, including probation and suspension for the spring semester. All team members will also be required to take part in a hazing education program, the statement said.
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In a Jan. 4 letter to the team, BC Director of Athletics Blake James said he hopes the program will be able to move forward in the 2024-2025 academic year.
“My hope is that the program will learn from this experience and commit itself to ensuring appropriate behavior, meeting University expectations, and creating a positive team culture that will position the program for success in the future,” James wrote, according to an excerpt posted on BC’s website.
BC spokesperson Jack Dunn also confirmed that head coach Joe Brinkman, diving coach Jack Lewis, and assistant coaches Brian Keane and Alexander Santana are no longer with the program. He did not comment further, noting the university does not discuss personnel matters.
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Last fall, 37 swimmers and divers sued the school in an attempt to lift the suspension. They dropped their lawsuit in late October after a Middlesex Superior Court judge rejected their request for a preliminary injunction and asserted that the team’s upperclassmen were “clearly and repeatedly warned” that hazing was prohibited under BC’s rules, team rules, and state law.
“In 2023, no college student could be unaware of the dire dangers of hazing,” Judge Diane Freniere wrote.
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