By Gloria Ogbonna
More than a dozen former University of Michigan men’s hockey players have filed a federal lawsuit against the university, accusing coaches and other staff members of knowing about a disturbing culture of sexual hazing and abuse that allegedly took place within the team for decades.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in federal court in Detroit, was brought by 16 former players who were members of the Michigan hockey program between 1984 and 2001. The former athletes allege that hazing rituals were not isolated incidents but were part of a long-standing team culture that included humiliating, degrading and sexually abusive acts.
Attorney Michael Pitt, who represents the former players, described the alleged conduct as systematic and deeply abusive.
“The abuse was ritualized, meticulously planned, and sadistic,” Pitt said in the sex discrimination lawsuit. He alleged that enduring sexual abuse was treated as a requirement for becoming accepted as a member of the Michigan men’s ice hockey team.
According to the 72-page lawsuit, players were subjected to a variety of hazing rituals, including being forced to consume excessive amounts of alcohol, eat live fish and endure humiliating physical and sexual treatment from older teammates.
One of the most serious allegations involves players being forced to have the hair around their genitals shaved by teammates. Another former player, identified in the lawsuit as John Doe 7, alleged that he was taunted with a blowtorch while lying on a table during a hazing incident.
The former players say the alleged abuse was known to people within the hockey program and that those in positions of authority failed to stop it.
The lawsuit specifically names former Michigan hockey coach Red Berenson, who led the program from 1984 until 2017. The plaintiffs allege that Berenson was aware of the hazing and, in at least one instance, encouraged a player to participate rather than protecting him from the conduct.
One former player, identified as John Doe 3, allegedly told Berenson that he did not want to take part in the hazing. According to the lawsuit, Berenson responded by pressuring him to be a “Michigan Man” and a “good teammate.”
Berenson, now 86, has denied that the coaching staff directed or encouraged abusive behavior. When contacted by The Associated Press, he declined to comment. However, he previously told MLive.com that there was a “certain element of initiation” involving senior players but said no one had complained to him about the alleged sexual abuse.
“Were there some mishaps? Were there some bad experiences? Possibly, but it wasn’t a matter of direction or encouragement from the coaching staff or from the administration,” Berenson said, according to the report.
He also questioned the characterization of the allegations as sexual abuse.
The former coach had publicly addressed freshman hazing within the hockey program in 2012, announcing an end to practices that included first-year players being forced to carry equipment and eat team meals last. At the time, Berenson reportedly acknowledged that some team captains had “got too carried away,” but he did not publicly describe physical or sexual abuse.
The former players’ allegations reportedly resurfaced after several former teammates began discussing their experiences in 2024. Those conversations eventually contributed to the filing of the lawsuit, according to the document.
The University of Michigan has described the allegations as disturbing but is denying responsibility for the alleged conduct.
University spokesperson Paul Corliss said in a written statement that any student athletes who participated in hazing or misconduct would have been violating university policy. He also pointed out that Michigan adopted an official anti-hazing policy in 1982, which the university says made it one of the first schools in the country to formally establish such a policy.
The case could also raise questions about how long the former players waited before bringing their claims. The university previously made a similar argument in a separate case involving former athletes who alleged sexual misconduct by a university sports doctor decades earlier.
That earlier case ultimately resulted in a $490 million settlement involving claims from more than 1,000 people.
The former Michigan hockey players are now seeking to hold the university accountable for what they describe as years of abuse, humiliation and institutional failure. The allegations have not been proven in court, and the lawsuit is expected to face legal challenges as the case moves forward.
Source ABC7
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