16 Ex-Michigan Hockey Players Sue Over Decades of Sexual Hazing

Sixteen former University of Michigan men's ice hockey players have filed a federal lawsuit alleging they endured sexual hazing by teammates during their time with the programme, with the abuse spanning nearly two decades.

The suit, filed Wednesday in federal court in Detroit, claims that head coach Red Berenson and other staff were aware of the misconduct but failed to stop it. The plaintiffs played for the university between 1984 and 2001.

Attorney Michael Pitt described the conduct as "ritualized, meticulously planned, and sadistic," adding that surviving sexual abuse was effectively a condition of belonging to the team. The lawsuit was brought under sex discrimination law.

The case is said to have emerged from conversations among former teammates in 2024.

Berenson, who led the programme from 1984 to 2017, declined to comment Thursday, saying he needed time to absorb the allegations. In 2012 he announced an end to "freshman hazing," referring to first-year players being made to carry equipment and eat team meals. At the time he made no mention of physical abuse, though he acknowledged that some captains had "got too carried away."

The university described the allegations as disturbing but rejected responsibility. Spokesperson Paul Corliss said any former student athlete who engaged in hazing or other misconduct was violating university policy, noting that Michigan adopted an official anti-hazing policy in 1982 and was among the first institutions in the country to do so.

The lawsuit adds to a series of sexual misconduct claims the university has faced in recent years. In 2022, Michigan agreed to pay $490 million to settle claims from more than 1,000 people who said a sports doctor sexually assaulted them over a career at the school that lasted nearly four decades.