Nearly six months after Robert Champion, a clarinetist and member of the famed Florida A&M University Marching 100, died following a hazing incident, 11 people were charged with felonies and two others with misdemeanors relating to the November incident.Nearly six months after Robert Champion, a clarinetist and member of the famed Florida A&M University Marching 100, died following a hazing incident, 11 people were charged with felonies and two others with misdemeanors relating to the November incident. An additional 20 other people may also face misdemeanor charges. Legal experts are saying that this is “one of the largest criminal cases ever built on a hazing death.”
Champion died after suffering a ritual beating by his fellow band members on a school bus following a band performance. News of the tragic event cast a pall on the marching world, bringing the national spotlight on to the unfortunate hazing practices that some say are particularly prevalent in the marching band culture at southern universities and historically black colleges. For more on the charges filed and fallout from this case, read this article from the N.Y. Times.
