Kamehameha football players linked to sex scandal
By Vicki Viotti and David Waite
Advertiser Staff Writers
A Kamehameha Schools official confirmed yesterday that the school is investigating reports that football players videotaped a sexual episode with at least one female student, allegations that led to the suspension of six athletes.
School officials had declined to comment about the allegations until yesterday, when a Honolulu attorney filed an unrelated sexual assault and harassment lawsuit in U.S. District Court, saying that his client was moved to step forward by reports about the alleged sexual episode.
Ray Soon, Kamehameha Schools' vice president for community relations and communications, said the investigation of the incident involving the football players is ongoing and "it's more complex than we realized."
Soon declined to answer questions in detail on the allegations beyond saying the incident involved the videotaping of a sexual act. He said that all of the football players are on administrative leave. They are not attending classes or participating in extracurricular activities, but they are receiving class assignments and are responsible for meeting academic requirements.
The suspensions first came to light on Friday when the six players were suspended from participating in Saturday's league championship game against Saint Louis School.
A person familiar with the inquiry said that the episode is believed to involve a consensual sexual act that was videotaped and that the tape may have been shown to other students.
The person, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the situation and the fact that members of the school community have been asked not to discuss it, said multiple copies of the tape may have been distributed.
Various details of the episode could not be confirmed, including how each of the players was involved and whether more than one female student was involved.
Soon read a prepared statement in which he described the allegations as "very serious."
"They affect the future of the students involved, and they require a thorough and balanced review," he said.
"That review is under way and will be completed shortly. If any disciplinary actions are appropriate, they will be implemented in a confidential manner between the students involved and Kamehameha Schools."
Soon also called it "unfortunate" that, in a separate case, attorney David Simons "is attempting to capitalize on the current allegations involving students at Kamehameha Schools to bring a lawsuit over a situation that occurred several years ago and one in which Kamehameha Schools did everything it could to support and assist his client."
The civil suit, filed yesterday on behalf of an unnamed former Kamehameha student and her mother, claims the girl was sexually assaulted and sexually harassed by a male classmate during a five-year period beginning in 1998.
Simons said his clients decided to sue Kamehameha as a result of news reports about the incident involving the football players.
The lawsuit alleges that the student accused of assault and harassment was also a football player and that he was expelled from the school before classes resumed in September 2002.
He is not one of the six football team members currently under investigation, Simons said.
The lawsuit says that the boy was issued an "administrative restraining order" by the school telling him to stay away from the girl and that the boy violated the order. The girl and her mother didn't seek criminal charges against the boy, Simons said.
He said the girl and her mother believe that the boy sexually harassed or assaulted four other female students at Kamehameha and that he received preferential treatment because he was on the football team.
Soon said Kamehameha "has followed professional guidance in assisting the girl, including paying for treatment and educational support." He said many allegations were untrue but did not elaborate.
Simons said Kamehameha eventually paid for the girl to attend St. Andrew's Priory and later denied her application for readmission to Kamehameha after the boy had been dismissed by the school.
Simons said the school should conduct a "confidential investigation" into the handling of the matter. In addition, the girl and her mother are seeking an unspecified amount in monetary damages.
Reach Vicki Viotti at vviotti@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8053. Reach David Waite at dwaite@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8030.
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Correction: The students under investigation at Kamehameha Schools are on administrative leave, school officials said. They are not attending classes or participating in extracurricular activities, but they are receiving class assignments and are responsible for meeting academic requirements. A previous version of this story incorrectly described their status.
