Minnesota High School Students Speak Out Amid Alleged Assault Investigation

Students at Proctor High School in Minnesota have spoken out about what they saw on social media and the reasoning behind school officials canceling the rest of the football season.

School officials and authorities have kept the investigation details to a minimum, but according to WCCO, students revealed some unsettling information about what they know. "It's bad, it's bad," senior Phoenix Koski said.

Several students told WCCO a locker room video posted online involved two football players holding down another teammate as an older player used an item to sodomize the student being held down.

"Everyone's just super stressed. It's just hard," Koski said about the last few weeks at school. Tony Villebrun, another senior, said, "I think it was gross. Really gross."

Police and school officials have not made any comments about the investigation and are using privacy laws to keep from commenting to the public. However, students noted that school officials did not know about the video for a few days and since the investigation began, the students involved in the alleged assault have not been seen in class.

"I think the dude that did it should definitely get punished for what he did," senior Jayce Grover told WCCO. "I think Proctor has a bunch of good kids, and it's not fair to lump everybody together over one's actions."

The canceled season was confirmed in a statement by Proctor Public Schools Superintendent John Engelking. Part of the statement read:

"In order to enable us to do our due diligence and to give us the opportunity to properly investigate the allegations, we have made the decision to end our 9-12 grade football team activities for the season. Please know that this decision was not made hastily, and it was made with consultation with the Proctor Police Department, the Minnesota State High School League, the Proctor Public Schools Crisis Team, and legal counsel."

But not everyone agrees with the decision. "I don't think they should have taken away everyone's football season, give the rest of the kids a chance…they weren't a part of it," Koski stated.

A spokesperson for the St. Louis County Attorney's Office told WCCO that the decision to file possible criminal charges against the football players would be based on the results of the police investigation.