UPDATE: Football Freshmen Hazing Investigation

UPDATE: Coach Suspended in Hazing Incident - Click HERE for the latest information

UPDATE 2: Four Students Supended in Hazing Incident - Click HERE for the latest information

Several senior football players at Bledsoe County High School are under investigation after school leaders say they hazed freshmen. We got a phone tip about the alleged hazing and went to Pikeville today to investigate the claims for ourselves. The school superintendent was very limited in the information he could share with us on this incident.

Parents we spoke with on the phone and people in the community were clear about the bullying and assaults made by members of the team. We spoke with several family members of victims who did not want to go on camera, but we dug deeper, got a list of all the freshmen on the team and called their parents. Because of the serious allegations, no one would give us an interview.

Football players are used to hitting each other hard on the field, but what's not allowed is hitting, bullying, or assaulting, off the field, also known as hazing.

No matter, what it's called, Superintendent of Schools Philip Kiper says any time of violent acts occur among teammates it's wrong and needs to be stopped. "Hazing is the same as bullying, we have a zero tolerance policy, where we don't allow kids, it's the same policy."

Which is why the school system is now investigating an incident from last Wednesday, when freshman say they were hazed by seniors. Kiper says, "It's a big priority for us right now, I hope that when we evidence of what actually happened which I don't have right now, we'll figure out how serious it is, and take action as necessary and solve the problem."

Now superintendent Philip Kiper can't tell us much about what happened, but he did tell us it took place inside the field house during school hours, in athletic period, and today they're interviewing as many of the 31 team members as possible to determine exactly what hazing happened.

We tried to talk to parents whose football players were affected, but they wouldn't go on camera because they feared their children would suffer retaliation.

Many told us off camera just how graphic and serious the hazing became, saying the younger teammates were forced by the seniors to beat each other with bats and bags, saying some kids even suffered minor injuries. But Kiper says right now he isn't aware that anyone was seriously hurt and says he's taking every step to make sure this behavior is stopped. "I want parents to know that their kids are safe here in school, and that they come here to school and be safe and not be assaulted or harrassed by someone here at school, that's what our goal is."

Kiper says the School Resource Officer at the school was notified of the incident and is helping in the investigation, but says so far no criminal charges have been followed and he was unsure if the Sheriff's Office was aware of the incident. We called Sheriff Jim Morris to find out, but he didn't return our call.

Kiper says no one has been suspended, but three students of suspicion were sent home from practice yesterday afternoon. He says now they just want to get to the bottom of what hazing actually happened and make sure it stops.