I've been meaning to respond to Wayne's post about UVM and hazing, but
haven't had the opportunity until now.
 
The thing that strikes me is that the players (apparently) had a
players-only meeting prior to being interviewed by investigators and
decided that "the plan" (if you will) should be to lie to
investigators.  The meeting, therefore, was to coordinate their stories.
 
Since only some players say this meeting occurred, we shouldn't assume this
definitely happened, but UVM obviously is pretty certain it did since they
canceled the season.
 
Now the hazing was (as described) awful and certainly worthy of punishment,
but had the players been truthful, I would support a lighter sentence than
they received.  But, as unfair as this may be to individuals, it was
deserved because they tried to cover it all up.  Sure, certain players
probably didn't want to lie.  But, the same peer pressure that contributed
to the hazing also played out in the lying.  It is certainly a unique
penalty that is for sure.
 
I can't get over how they thought they would get away with this.  Maybe
they thought the accusations of the player suing the university wouldn't
amount to anything, but they were too graphic to be made up.  Some could
say this was a form of sexual assault by the actions players were forced
and/or coerced to do.
 
This is going to have a devastating affect on Vermont hockey.  While one
could say that these acts are not going to be committed again, what player
is going to go Vermont with this hanging over their heads?  In some ways,
this might even be worse than NCAA violations in terms of its impact on
recruiting.  It will be years before they recover IMHO.
 
Wayne also brings up the coach.  He's been pretty much absolved from guilt
and/or responsibility in the matter, but he may not survive this
either.  He sent a memo to the players saying not to lie and the players
responded by lying.  Is that a sign that he's lost control of his team?
 
He may not get fired and that may or may not be deserved, but IMHO his days
are numbered because either he'll want to move on or the next few years of
struggling will cause him to quit/be fired a year or two down the road...
as a direct result of this.
 
Also interesting to note that one UVM player transferred to Maine during
this time, before the players lied to investigators.
 
-Deron