Seton Hall's Sick Hazing Culture: Baseball Team Forced Rookies Into Naked Beatings And 'Masturbation Games'

A young athlete's dream school and coaching programme turned into a nightmare when he discovered a locker room culture full of humiliation and violent hazing. When a 17-year-old pitcher from Long Island with an impressive 91mph fastball was offered 10 Division I scholarships, he thought he had picked his best option. Now, the family of the Seton Hall University freshman is issuing a federal lawsuit, alleging a series of degrading rituals, including physical assault and sexually explicit hazing. The pitcher's story, which he shared with The New York Post, reveals a toxic, dangerous side to the world of baseball—even among the youngest in the industry—and the adults who enable such practices.

A Hazing Culture of Violence, Sexual Humiliation And Assault

According to the young man, whose identity is being protected, the harassment began mere days after he arrived at the New Jersey Campus in August 2024 and met the baseball team. The student grew nervous amid talks of head shavings, but only became truly uncomfortable when a sophomore told him he had to show his genitals to the rest of the locker room. Pressured to comply, the rookie did as the sophomore asked, and the team laughed at him.

The hazing became violent at the Labour Day weekend of 2024, when the freshman was forced into a makeshift wrestling ring and was brutally beaten by an older player. The teen describes getting body-slammed, put in a chokehold, and being dragged around. At the end of the match, the teen walked back to his dorm room, doubled over in pain, leaving a trail of blood on the pavement. Almost a year later, he still bears scars on his knees.

'I was spitting blood everywhere,' he said. 'It was a feeling that I'm really never gonna forget.'

Even more disturbing is the team's masturbation tradition, known as the 'Lotus' ritual. In it, a player would 'manipulate his genitals' in front of cheering teammates. The freshman recalls seeing this ritual be forced on another boy, calling it 'awful.'

'That's what you're dealing with—something new like that, every day,' he explained. Although he tried to avoid participating, he was ridiculed as a 'p*ssy,' and warned of more rituals to come. Having had enough of the sickening ordeal, the freshman decided to quit the team.

Lawsuit Claims Head Coach Turned A Blind Eye to Coercion And Abuse

According to the lawsuit, head coach Rob Sheppard 'expressed disappointment but took no meaningful action to address the issues.' He'd had previous warnings, namely from the freshman's parents, who confronted him after hearing about their son's horrifying wrestling match. After speaking to them, Sheppard called the student and outright lied to him, and 'basically told me that none of this goes on here, that he would take care of this and that none of this ever happens at Seton Hall and it's not tolerated.'

Attorney Mark Shirian, who is representing the player, however, is pushing back. He claims the school and its coaching staff 'failed to investigate the complaint, discipline perpetrators, or implement corrective measures,' allowing the abuse to 'continue unabated.' The suit also notes how outdated gender norms resulted in male hazing being dismissed as 'boys being boys,' a perspective that continues to endanger vulnerable young athletes.

In addition to condemning Sheppard, Shirian issued a scathing indictment of Seton Hall's conduct, stating:

'Seton Hall University's baseball program turned a blind eye to a culture of vicious hazing, betraying the trust of young athletes and perpetuating a cycle of abuse under the guise of tradition. This deliberate indifference not only shattered lives but exposed a shameful failure to protect those they promised to uplift.'

Unfortunately, the victim is the one currently paying the price of the abuse he endured, experiencing setbacks and bullying as a consequence of his bravery.

Quitting A Division I College Team: The Aftermath

Leaving Seton Hall came at a steep cost—it meant foregoing the elite coaching the freshman had been recruited for. Due to NCAA transfer rules, he lost a season of eligibility and was forced to step down to a Division III programme—a significant blow to his exposure and prospects. Not only that, but he was alienated by his former teammates and targeted in group chats, being called a 'rat' for outing the abuse.

'It was a dark time for me—I was sad, depressed,' the player admitted. 'To spend my whole life trying to get to that point, and I finally got there, and then had this all happen, and it's just derailed my whole career.'

While he works on getting back on track, he is also committed to inciting change through his suit

'There's gotta be some accountability taken by the coach,' he insisted. 'He's gotta lay his foot down and take control of that whole situation and try to make things a lot better.'

Though horrific, the player's ordeal is not a unique situation or new trend but, rather, has been a prevalent problem in college campuses—especially in the US—ever since these were first established.

Hazing Victim Dies After Being Struck in the Chest

Hazing rituals are infamously dangerous, with hundreds dying every year due to bizarre, risky traditions and peer pressure. Earlier this year, 20-year-old Caleb Wilson was found unresponsive and pronounced dead after such a ritual. He and 10 other new recruits at Omega Psi Phi fraternity were repeatedly punched in the chest during a hazing event. Wilson reportedly collapsed and suffered a seizure as a 'direct result' of the physical blows. The man who struck Wilson, Caleb McCray, 23, a fellow member of Omega Psi Phi, was charged with criminal hazing and manslaughter.

Southern University and A&M College, which Wilson attended, has condemned the incident, claiming that 'all organizations on campus are required to undergo rigorous anti-hazing training and are held to high standards related to membership intake processes.'

Though institutions are often quick to slam the practice of hazing when it is outed as dangerous, the tradition remains prevalent in most campuses.

Student Dies of Alcohol Poisoning During Initiation

In 2021, Stone Justin Foltz, 20, a sophomore at Bowling Green State University, died of alcohol intoxication after he was forced to drink 'an extraordinary amount' during a hazing ritual. His blood alcohol level was found to be four times the legal limit. His family filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the fraternity, Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity's Delta Beta Chapter, which was banned from the university.

The two men directly involved in Foltz's death, fellow students Jacob Krinn and Troy Henricksen, were sentenced to 42 days behind bars and 28 days of house arrest, followed by two years of conditional probation. Three additional students were expelled as a result of the incident, and 17 were suspended. In 2023, the Foltz family reached a $2.9 million settlement with the university.

The harrowing experiences endured by these students are an uncomfortable reminder of how dangerous, dehumanising, and deeply ingrained hazing rituals remain in athletic and academic institutions. For the Seton Hall pitcher, what began as a hopeful career launch ended in trauma, emotional and physical scars, and almost-shattered dreams. As similar incidents continue coming to light, decisive action must come from the authorities—coaches, teachers and administrators. Regardless of tradition, young athletes and students deserve to live in a culture that places their safety and dignity above misguided loyalty.