Cornell lacrosse team suspended amid hazing allegations

• School says alleged hazing incident took place Sept. 13
• Suspension means all fall competitions have been canceled
• Big Red lost last season in national semifinals to eventual champion Duke

ITHACA, N.Y. — Cornell University announced Thursday that the entire Big Red men's lacrosse team has been placed on temporary suspension, following an alleged hazing incident Sept. 13.

According to spokesman John Carberry of the Cornell press relations office, the team is being disciplined for alleged "coerced consumption of alcohol by underage freshmen." Carberry added that more details will be released on the university's hazing site — hazing.cornell.edu — in the coming days.

The university's director of athletics, Andy Noel, released the following statement Thursday afternoon:

"On Sept. 13, the Cornell men's lacrosse team was placed on temporary suspension pending appropriate sanctions for a team hazing incident. Following investigation into the incident, Coach (Ben) DeLuca and his team were notified that all fall competitions are canceled.

"Effective today, the team will resume training and practice in accordance with sanction guidelines."

Attempts Thursday to reach DeLuca were unsuccessful.

Cornell, which went 14-4 last season and lost to eventual national champion Duke in the NCAA semifinals, was scheduled to meet the Iroquois National Team in an exhibition Sept. 28 in Cortland, N.Y.

The Big Red also were scheduled to play in the second annual Capital Lacrosse Invitational on Oct. 13 in Bethesda, Md. The tournament supports and promotes the Mario St. George Boiardi Foundation, which is named in memory of George Boiardi, a former Cornell captain who died in 2004 after being struck in the chest by a lacrosse ball during a game with Binghamton University. Other schools scheduled to play are Penn State, Bucknell and Lehigh.

Tom Fleischman also writes for The Ithaca (N.Y.) Journal, a Gannett property.