Elk Grove High investigation into troubling football behavior tied to hazing
An incident at Elk Grove High School that led to a school investigation last week apparently stems from a case of hazing involving some of the school’s varsity football players, according to sources.
Two sources with knowledge of the situation but not authorized to speak publicly about it told The Sacramento Bee on Monday that at least three Thundering Herd varsity players hazed a freshman student, and that it was recorded on a cellphone.
In the video, one source said, the underclassman student had his pants pulled down and had simulated sexual acts performed on him.
The varsity players involved in the locker room incident were suspended from the team for violations of the school’s code of conduct handbook that each student-athlete must review and agree with before competing, the sources said. Those players did not play in Elk Grove’s home opener on Friday against Golden Valley of Merced. It is unclear if the players have been expelled from school or if they will be.
Elk Grove Unified School District spokesperson Lisa Levasseur told The Bee on Friday that “appropriate disciplinary action has been taken with the students involved” and she added on Monday that her office “has been working closely with law enforcement to investigate the incident.”
In a shared statement, the district and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said, “There is no information, evidence or allegations indicating any type of sexual assault/sex crime. Deputies will continue to investigate the matter to determine if any other criminal charges are appropriate.”
Elk Grove principal Rudy Ortega on Sept. 4 sent an email to the parents of Thundering Herd players that said, in part: “We are writing to inform you of a matter that requires our collective attention and actions. It has come to our attention that a group of student-athletes have engaged in behaviors that do not align with the standards of conduct and character we uphold at Elk Grove High School.”
Ortega added that the school is investigating and will “address the issue with transparency and accountability,” while increasing adult supervision around the locker room and looking into the school’s “locker room culture” and student athlete conduct.
The California Interscholastic Federation, the governing body for high school sports, does not issue suspensions for players or sanctions for teams that engage in hazing, leaving those decisions to schools and districts. The CIF has long said that hazing or bullying of any form does not fit in education-based athletics.
The CIF offers free online courses on hazing for coaches and administrators, linked to the CIF website.
The Bee’s Jennah Pendleton contributed to this story.
This story was originally published September 8, 2025 at 5:02 PM.