Boston College suspends men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams indefinitely for hazing

Boston College signOlivia Spinale/Boston.com

Boston College has suspended its men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs indefinitely because of hazing incidents.

University administrators “determined that hazing had occurred within the program,” resulting in the suspension, according to a statement released by BC’s athletic department Wednesday.

“The University does not — and will not — tolerate hazing in any form,” the statement said.

During the suspension, members of the swimming and diving program will “continue to have access to academic and medical resources” that are available to all athletes at BC, the school said.

Following the 2022-23 season, 31 members of the BC swimming and diving program were named to the All-ACC Academic Team, meaning that they held a minimum 3.0 grade point average for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative average during their academic career.

The Eagles finished last at the 2023 ACC championships on both the men’s and women’s sides.

Hazing in sports has been a nationwide issue, including several instances at the high school and college levels in Eastern Mass. in recent years. Earlier this week, King Philip Regional High addressed an August hazing incident at a camp by members of the football team.

The Haverhill football team cancelled the end of its 2022 season after learning of a hazing incident. A family in Woburn is suing high school and city officials after their son was beaten by a group of football teammates in a locker room in 2021. Danvers became the center of negative attention in 2021 because of hazing on the boys’ hockey team — and the town’s lack of public response.

At the college level, longtime Harvard women’s hockey coach Katey Stone came under fire for misconduct on the team, including alleged hazing rituals, this past January. Stone ultimately retired in June.