The Fayette Citizen-News Page

Wednesday, April 30, 2003

Hazing nets jail time for FCHS player

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

A Fayette County High School football player pleaded guilty Monday to roughing up a teammate in what was described as a hazing ritual back in November.

Jason Watford, 18, pleaded guilty to simple battery and reckless conduct for striking a teammate with a weight belt and dragging him around the locker room after the victim was tied up by two other teammates.

Fayette County State Court Judge Fletcher Sams sentenced Watford to 20 days in jail with the remainder of a two-year sentence on probation. Watford was also fined $1,000 and ordered to attend counseling sessions.

Watford apologized for his actions during a brief statement but noted that such "hazing" incidents have gone on for some time.

"With all due respect to the court, I had no intention of hurting him," Watford said, adding that he was similarly hazed when he was a freshman. "...I feel like I've learned a lesson from it. What I did was wrong."

Watford said players have conducted similar "initiations" before. He also claimed there was no authority figure present "to tell us what we were doing was wrong."

Sams said he was bothered that two other participants in the incident had to intervene instead of Watford stopping on his own.

Those individuals, Jeb Thaxton, 17, and Matthew Hoisington, 18, previously pleaded guilty to reckless conduct for their part in the incident. They admitted to tying up the victim's hands and feet before Watford assaulted the victim.

Sams agreed to allow Watford to serve his jail sentence after school ends for summer break. He also allowed Watford to be sentenced under the first offender act, which would allow the guilty plea to be stricken from his criminal record if he successfully meets all the terms of the sentence.

Solicitor General Steve Harris read aloud a statement from the victim's parents which asked for an apology from Watford.

"You are a bully in every sense of the word," Harris read from the statement. "... You owe our son an apology."