WINTER PARK, Fla. — The Rollins College lacrosse team, found responsible for hazing, is now off suspension and under supervision.
The college announced Friday their men’s team can now hit the field and practice again.
The team wasn’t seen on the field practicing Friday, but it’s not lacrosse season.
A two-page letter from the school said the team was responsible for hazing but did not give much details about the incident that led to the suspension.
Sophomore Rachel Collins is friends with some players and said they weren’t allowed to talk about it.
“Everyone kept pretty quiet. We were all in the dark until the email. Pretty much all we knew is they were being suspended,” she said.
But the suspension came during the off-season. The team can play again next spring when the season begins, which means the team never missed a game.
Channel 9’s Janine Reyes asked how much a month-long suspension did to keep more hazing incidents from happening again.
The players had to take online classes about alcohol and drugs and had to work in group sessions to “address character development and responsibility.”
“I think it was good enough punishment,” Collins said.
And while she would like to know the details of what got the team in trouble, she feels the school does not have a tolerance policy.
“They don’t really cut slack on anyone at this school, because it’s such a small school. They can find out anything,” Collins said.
The point, Collins feels, was brought home with the school-wide email about the men’s lacrosse team.
“I’m in a sorority, it’s a really big deal,” she said.
The school does not have a police department, but campus safety officers investigated and let Winter Park Police know what was happening, but the department never filed a report.
Police said they never had a victim, no witnesses came forward and no one was hurt.
A Rollins College spokesperson could not give specific findings on their investigation, but confirmed there were no injuries.
“I feel like maybe it wasn’t that big of a deal, and it was blown up to a big deal, because of the sense that there was hazing,” Collins said.