More trouble for Michigan as former men’s hockey players sue over disturbing sexualized hazing allegations

The University of Michigan and its board of regents have been sued by 16 former Wolverines men’s hockey players over allegations of sexual abuse ranging from the forced shaving of genitals to anal penetration.

‘Men as young as seventeen years old—new to adult life and in many cases dependent on hockey to access education at Michigan—were subjected to sexualized abuse that would be immediately recognized as torture under any other circumstance,’ read the sex discrimination lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court on behalf of 16 John Does. ‘The abuse was ritualized, meticulously planned, and sadistic.’

In one particularly troubling accusation, an anonymous player claimed teammates singed his pubic hairs with a blowtorch as he lay on a trainer’s table. Others claimed to have had their penises tied to a bucket that was filled with pucks by older teammates.

The alleged abuse occurred between 1984 and 2001 – a dominant stretch for the Wolverines that included four conference titles, seven Frozen Four berths and two national championships.

The lawsuit goes on to claim coach Red Berenson was aware of the abuse but did not intervene. One player claimed he reported the abuse to department officials only to have his playing time drastically reduced by Berenson, a former NHL player who coached the Wolverines from 1984 until 2017.

‘Berenson instructed upperclassmen to shave only “from the neck down,” so the abuse would be invisible when Plaintiffs were clothed,’ read the complaint. ‘The sexualized hazing was part of Berenson’s abusive coaching style: demanding extreme interpersonal deference, arbitrarily benching disfavored players, cultivating hostility to lowerclassmen, and other tactics that served to demoralize players to such an extent that they were desperate for approval and belonging on the team.’

Berenson denied direct knowledge of sexual abuse when contacted by MLive.

‘We knew there was a certain element of initiation on our team, and it was usually orchestrated by the seniors,’ Berenson told MLive. ‘We didn’t promote it. We didn’t encourage it.’

Berenson did address hazing during his coaching career, saying in 2012 that he stopped the practice of freshmen carrying upperclassmen’s equipment bags. He also admitted to other instances where ‘captains got too carried away.’

A University spokesperson has described the allegations as ‘disturbing,’ but did not issue a denial in an official statement.

‘To the extent any former student athlete engaged in hazing or other misconduct, they were violating university policy,’ spokesperson Paul Corliss said in a written statement. ‘The university first adopted an official anti-hazing policy in 1982. It was one of the first universities in the country to do so, and it has earned its standing as a leader in this area.’

This is only the latest problem facing the scandalized University of Michigan Athletic Department.

Wolverines football coach Sherrone Moore was fired in December after being accused of having an improper affair with a staffer and allegedly threatening her.

Additionally, the school reached a $1.2 million settlement with a woman who accused a Wolverines football program staff member of sexual assault.

In January, Michigan paid $490 million to settle hundreds of sexual assault claims against former team doctor Robert Anderson between 1966 and 2003.

Assistant football coach Matt Weiss was fired in 2023 and later charged with hacking into students’ online accounts to access intimate photos and videos.

Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel has already agreed to step down at the end of the year.