A star football player at the New Jersey high school caught up in a allegations of sexual hazing rituals carried out on other players has lost his scholarship to Penn State University.
Myles Hartsfield, a highly-touted cornerback in his final year at Sayreville War Memorial School was dropped by the Penn State coaches Monday, according to BlueWhiteIllustrated, a fan site for the Big 12 team.
Seven players have been charged with sex crimes over allegations that older team members would routinely hold new players down, penetrate them with their fingers, then stick it in the boy's mouth.
The Nittany Lions pulled Hartsfield’s scholarship offer. The 5-11, 180-pounder committed to Penn State in June, choosing the Big Ten school over offers from Rutgers, Georgia Tech, Purdue, Wake Forest, West Virginia and several others.
Penn State football, which can least afford to get involved in another scandal, is still feeling the aftereffects of the Jerry Sandusky debacle.
Hartsfield, a three-sport star, has been described as an "explosive talent" in offense and defense — and was ranked as the 13th most promising player in New Jersey according to Rivals.com.
But his, and many of his teammates, promising football careers are now in jeopardy after the season was canceled while investigations take place.
The 17-year-old Hartsfield could be tried as an adult.
The scandal widened this week after the Sayreville Schools Superintendent Richard Labbe revealed that the hazing may have been going on for years — and said that football may be permanently eliminated from the athletics program.
In addition, Rutgers senior associate athletic director Jason Baum said the local product does not hold a Scarlet Knight offer.
“He was committed to another school and when a player commits to another program, they no longer have a committable offer from Rutgers University,” Baum told NJ Advance Media’s Matt Stanmyre in an email on Sunday.
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