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High school cancels basketball season after players charged with raping teammate

Posted at 5:55 AM, Jan 07, 2016
and last updated 2016-01-07 05:55:40-05

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee high school has canceled its basketball season after three players were charged with raping a teammate in an apparent hazing incident.

Hamilton County Schools Superintendent Rick Smith said Wednesday he was taking this “very unusual step” with Ooltewah High School so investigators can do their jobs without interference.

Gatlinburg police say three teens face aggravated rape and aggravated assault charges in connection with injuries to a teammate who underwent surgery after being assaulted while attending a basketball tournament.

None of the teens has been named because they’re all juveniles.

Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association Executive Director Bernard Childress said this is the first time he could remember a school canceling a season for disciplinary reasons.