Plainfield school district reaches $415,000 settlement in football hazing case

Plainfield School District 202 paid $415,000 to settle a hazing lawsuit brought by the parents of two former football players.

The school board approved the settlement in August but did not release the dollar value. The school district released the settlement, which outlined the payment, to the Herald-News last week after it was was sought under the Freedom of Information Act.

The lawsuit alleged that two former football players at Plainfield Central High School were sexually assaulted with broomsticks in 2019 as part of “long-standing and prevalent hazing rituals and traditions.”

The settlement includes a statement that there was no admission of wrongdoing or liability by the school district. It also states that the settlement does not validate the position of either side in the lawsuit.

The $415,000 payout includes all attorneys’ fees.

The money will be paid by the school district’s insurer, according to the settlement.

The two football players who alleged the hazing were not identified in the lawsuit nor in the settlement.

Attorneys for the school district denied that the alleged hazing practices were known to school coaches and that they were part of a “long-standing” ritual as alleged in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit was filed in 2021.