Franklin And Marshall College Lacrosse Coach Lauren Paul, Players Dismissed Over Hazing Complaint

LANCASTER, Pa. -- Franklin & Marshall College fired its national championship-winning women's lacrosse coach and suspended upperclassmen players following a complaint over a hazing incident last year, school officials said.

Vice President of Communications Cass Cliatt told The Associated Press on Wednesday the school fired head coach Lauren Paul on Tuesday and suspended the players after confirming details of the hazing.

"Coaches at F&M are educators," Cliatt said. "F&M expects all coaches to be responsible for maintaining a supportive environment and an atmosphere of trust consistent with the educational goals of the institution, and to serve as guardians over the health and well-being of their players."

A phone listing for Paul could not immediately be located Wednesday.

Cliatt would not release details of the alleged hazing or the names of the players suspended, citing privacy rules. The suspended players remain enrolled at the school.

The Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era reported 11 players are no longer listed on the roster, including eight of nine seniors and seven of the team's top 10 scorers.

Cliatt said the hazing was reported anonymously to Lancaster police in February and that school officials also received reports. After preliminary inquiries, a formal investigation began April 10, according to a letter sent to the college community by Dean Kent Trachte.

"F&M takes any allegation of hazing very seriously and has strong and clear policies against any form of hazing as part of our deep commitment to safeguarding student health, safety and well-being," Trachte wrote.

Lancaster police Lt. Todd Umstead said there is no criminal investigation into the matter.

The Lancaster County district attorney's office did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment.

Paul, a 2003 F&M grad, led the Diplomats to the 2009 Division III national championship in her first season as head coach. The team made it to the national semifinals the following year and the national quarterfinals last season.

The school's field hockey coach is taking over as interim coach and the team will finish the season, school officials said.

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Comments

[blue0116ll]

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[CeyAM]

03:19 PM on 05/01/2012

For better journalism, this story needs a follow-up! One like this: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/638798_F-M-s-recently-fired-women-s-lacrosse-coach-tells-her-side-of-the-story.html

[emily tripp]

02:23 AM on 04/30/2012

This all started because of a report by the parent of a disgruntled student who was cut from the team. The “hazing” incident reportedly took place a year ago, and yet was reported only now. Coach Paul knew nothing about it, and in fact emphasizes the concept of respect: for each other, for the opponent, and for the game.

F&M - new president, looking to make a name for himself by using a non-issue. I have to wonder how much $$ the disgruntled parents are promising to donate to the college.

In the latest news, ALL of the suspended student-players have been invited back to the team by the administration, and guess what: THEY HAVE ALL TURNED DOWN THE OFFER.

These players, as well as those remaining on the team, have shown their support for coach Paul by choosing to end their season prematurely, despite having an 8-1 conference record, a 13-3 overall record so far this season, and a No. 10 national ranking.

THAT's ethics. That's character. And I am proud to call myself an F&M lacrosse alum ’83.

[Reinstate Coach Paul]

07:17 PM on 04/25/2012

Please read and consider signing the petition to reinstate women's lacrosse coach Lauren Paul who was unjustly fired from F&M last week. http://www.change.org/petitions/dr-daniel-porterfield-president-of-franklin-marshall-college-reinstate-coach-lauren-paul

[MonaMarimow]

08:29 PM on 04/25/2012

I have signed this. Whether or not you know F&M or coach Lauren Paul this is an issue that impacts coaches and players across all collegiate sports. We need a better process and policies to protect our coaches everywhere!

[goku7675]

03:26 PM on 04/21/2012

Hazing needs to be dealt with in the harshest way for it to stop. This needs to happen in the Division I NCAA athletics as well. If research was done, I would not be surprised if it was found that there is MORE hazing among female teams than male right now. The hazing is done under the radar. Binge drinking is on the increase especially among young women and typically the introduction to a team means plying a freshman with alcohol.

[VA Jill]

11:51 AM on 04/19/2012

This is what FAMU should do to their band.......and hasn't.

[Lizaxyz]

09:47 AM on 04/19/2012

Nooo - not in my little hometown!

[jimbarry1946]

07:42 PM on 04/18/2012

Sadly I would suspect hazing is all too common in most high school and college sports and needs to be eliminated immediately. This is bullying pure and simple and cannot be allowed. The old excuse that it builds team spirit is bull. It is intimidation. If one does not go along, he/she is excluded. This is wrong from the bottom up.

[victorzeller]

05:54 PM on 04/18/2012

Lacrosse isn't even a real sport.

[jimbarry1946]

07:45 PM on 04/18/2012

I've never played but understand it is quite wicked. It's played with a very hard ball thrown at estremely high speed with no padding of any kind.

[a okafor007]

07:51 PM on 04/18/2012

Seriously???

[nvdesertdreamer]

03:55 PM on 04/18/2012

Hear about men hazing all the time, yet NEVER hear of them being thrown off the team or coaches losing their jobs.

[T4Timbuktu]

10:42 AM on 04/19/2012

How come you whine, but are too lazy or willlfully ignorant to look?--http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/south/12006444756083/wrestling-coach-fired-after-hazing-allegations-surface/

[firstamendment3]

01:35 PM on 04/18/2012

Sports and violence seem to go hand in hand.

[Kid Notorious]

03:27 PM on 04/18/2012

Didn't possess much athletic ability growing up, eh?

[firstamendment3]

03:33 PM on 04/18/2012

Correct...I could not stop half of the football team from gang raping the other half. It was a horrible thing to watch.

[teatwerp]

01:16 PM on 04/18/2012

putting ethics and rules over athletic wins? how refreshing.

[Truwriter]

01:34 PM on 04/18/2012

Yeah but they don't make any money with their sports. When its flush with TV money and bowl money and tournament money, the whole ethical outlook changes greatly. You can only recruit a half dozen students a year to join the lacrosse program but in major schools thousands of brain dead students will go to a school just to be fans in the stands, and of course the programs bring in huge amounts of money and coaches are millionaires. In small schools the price of being ethical is not very high. They likely fired her to protect themselves from lawsuits. Nice gesture but possibly not based in a search for ethics in sports.

[Paul Larson]

01:42 PM on 04/18/2012

How refreshing to see some common sense shown in posting about college atheltics.

[David Amaya]

02:41 PM on 04/18/2012

maybe you missed the fact that Franklin & Marshall College is a D III school.

That means by NCAA rules, they CANNOT give athletic scholarships .