Photo Supposedly Shows "Dark Underside" Of Bronx Science Hazing Case

During a court appearance on Friday, the three teenaged defendants in the Bronx Science hazing case were ordered not to contact their accuser. According to DNAinfo, the trio joked with supporters in the hallway before appearing somber during the hearing (the Post calls them "Two-faced jerks") and today the Daily News published a photo that shows two of the defendants with other members of the school's track team striking exaggerated poses for the camera. The paper asserts that the photo "seems like further evidence of the team's dark underside."

16-year-old Thomas Brady, 16-year-old Boubacar Diallo, and 17-year-old Pier Berkmans are charged with sexually hazing a 15-year-old underclassman several times in recent months. According to the criminal complaint, one of the defendants told the victim "You need a good fingering, you freshman," before sodomizing him with his finger through his clothing. In another instance, a defendant allegedly threatened to rape the victim if he didn't touch the defendant's penis.

“The track team had a reputation for acting out,” a former school staffer told the News. “They were real competitors, but they liked to play around…The track team was known for wild behavior." The athletic director for the track team, Marion Deitrich, along with two other track coaches, were suspended last week. An email Deitrich sent to staff last year seems to acknowledge that hazing was a problem on the team: "A student’s genitals were touched from an athlete on the track team.” The Wall Street Journal reports that the school's principal is not being investigated in the matter.

Several students told the Times that the whole case was being blown out of proportion: “It was just jokes. Maybe it was a little immature. Maybe if you were a freshman you’d get scared. But guys joke around.”

“These are minors. They’re entitled to the presumption of innocence,” Angel Cruz, one of the defendant's attorneys told DNAinfo after the hearing. “My only hope is that we’ll be able to restore their reputation at the conclusion of this matter.”