Astoria football players in trouble after drinking, smoking pot
ASTORIA, Ore. – School doesn't start until next week in Astoria but there's already a damper on school spirit after 28 football players got in trouble for drinking and smoking pot.
The Astoria High School football team will forfeit the next three games. It already lost its first game of the season last week and will start the season 0-4 after the forfeits. It's all because of what the kids did on their home field during a team campout.
It was Monday of last week, and the Astoria High football team was doing an annual team-building event. The coaches went to bed and some of the players started drinking and smoking marijuana sometime after 3:30 in the morning.
A parent got wind of it and alerted the school. After the investigation began, the players showed up Wednesday to the high school in coat and tie and with something to say.
"The kids have stepped forward and divulged their role in the situation, and have been very forthcoming in the whole situation, I'm very proud of them for that," said Superintendent Craig Hoppes.
Eight of the 28 players are in trouble for not turning in the players who were partying, and eight other players didn't even know it was going on. Parents of other students are just learning the details.
"I'm surprised they did it on the football field," said Melissa Palmerton, whose daughter is a senior on the soccer team.
"We're disappointed in the boys, and I hope it's something they can learn from and grow from," said Wendy Berezay, whose daughter is a freshman on volleyball team.
The district is making the 28 players get drug and alcohol education. The players will also have extra scrutiny put on their grades. Additionally, they will have to do community service every Friday during the games they forfeited.
"It doesn't matter if we win 10 games or zero games, this is not about football," said Hoppes.
Even though the team has forfeited the right to earn a league championship, the district says it can still earn the right to make the playoffs.
Astoria police are doing their own investigation. They'll try to figure out who gave the kids the booze and pot.
Excellent; another generation doping themselves up so as not to represent a threat to the monied interests, those being me specifically. Cheers!
@Morgan/Wilson2012 Whatever it is that causes you to revel in the drug and alcohol abuse by American school kids is beneath contempt. They're youngsters who made mistakes. You, on the other hand, are simply mean-spirited, and your "monied interests" are likely a work of fiction. Now, drop and give us 50.
 @Dienekes4160 I assure you there's nothing fictional about my monied interests. The level at which those in power participate in the distribution of mind-altering substances specifically directed at our youth is staggering. Have you read about the CIA and their massive "let's smuggle heroin in the corpses of poor youth we sent to die in Vietnam" program? Thoroughly documented. Are you aware that Ergotomine tartrate, the precursor to LSD, is produced in Pakistan by US Government-controlled farms whose output is highly monitored to the point that you'd have to conclude some of it is intentionally being released on our streets? This is the point I am making. I'm not at all concerned about these kids losing their ability to play sports, either. Schools should be spending money on education, not serving as the bread and circuses arm of the government. There's plenty of interest in keeping our youth doped up, either with drugs and alcohol or sports and sitcoms. Understand?
I forgot to mention earlier not only is Astoria being punished, but Newport, Molalla, and Gottage Grove football teams are being punished as well by not being able to play.Â
I salute and applaud the school officials in this. They want the students to be responsible for their actions. This will hopefully start other schools thinking about the same thing. They screwed up, they knew they were wrong, and now they pay. End of story Congratulations to the school officials
3 games? They should forfeit the entire season and disband the varsity team this year.
A school 5 miles away from Astoria has an estimated 60% drug use currently on their football team. This has been brought to the attention of the Principal several times in the last few years and he just turns his cheek.
OMG...there go all my bets! Dang! But kids will be kids. Let's hope that they learn from this experience and that cooler heads prevail when it comes to marking this in their permanent records.
What is everyone so upset about here, so the underage kids were drinking and smoking pot. this is liberal NWÂ
Oregon where their parents  do the same thing everyday and want to make smoking dope completely legal.  This only the beginning of the problems with  smoking dope but some here in Oregon still do not understand why pot is called dope. throw all the  kids in jail for a few weeks and let them dry out. Maybe they will understand the dangers of pot smoking then.
@onceagain My parents had alcohol in the house and would have beaten my hide if I had gotten into any of it. So, if daddy fisherman drinks beer, ie, "doing the same thing every day" and then gets in a fight with a logger over their salary, gee... That's all well and good with people like you, huh? It's those liberal loggers and fisherman isn't it? Drinking in front of their kids...Freakin' pinko commie liberal socialist drug-addicts... Why do you think they call 'em white trash?
 @Dienekes4160 All of them should have been throw in jail for a long long time.
@onceagain Typical nanny-state liberal. You want other people to go do the arrests for you, and you want taxpayers to foot the bill. You need to get out of Mommy's basement and learn how America works, boy.
Why jail? They're not criminals.
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 @r75 Last I heard smoking dope was against the law, a law they broke and that makes them criminals and win them a ticket straight to jail. Now if you are the kind of person that likes to only obey laws you like , then you have something wrong with your brain. Maybe you have been smoking to much dope yourself.
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 @Dienekes4160 your only response is to threaten me with violence, and you are talking to a cop. Ask him if threatening people is a violation or a felony.
 @Dienekes4160  @onceagain Once again, I can only thank conservatives for ensuring our nation is saddled with debt so as to precipitate a massive economic downturn for which my friends and I are already buying up derivatives, just like in 2008. Nothing smells more like freedom than an intentionally engineered economic collapse which you've created and from which you've profited. My friends and I need people like you, because if we didn't have paranoid whackos out there complaining about socialism, we'd have a more difficult time making off with billions and trillions of your hard-earned dollars. Cheers!
@onceagain I'm talking to a cop right now who says you're ignorant and full of bullsquat. It's not a crime, it's a violation, and I'm not a liberal, you halfwit. I drive a jeep, carry a concealed .45, served in the military and have no problem throwing an uppercut. Ever vigilant against ignorant fools like you who seek to taken the freedoms away from my fellow Americans and turn the finest nation in history into a police state. Get an education on American civics and law or take your Stalinist nonsense to Moscow where it belongs.
 @Dienekes4160 Go cry your liberal stance on someone who cares Breaking the law, any law makes you a criminal
@onceagain @Portlander29 "and, yes, breaking any laws makes you a criminal." I'm standing next to a retired deputy who is administering UAs today, and a state trooper, both of whom can point out the ignorance in your statement. A misdemeanor is an offense. A felony is a crime. The former can get you a fine an up to a year in jail. The latter can cause you to lose your right to vote, to possess a weapon, to get federal jobs... Guys like you want to make everything a "crime" which will make it much easier for you to take their freedom and confiscate their guns. Fortunately, the REAL American right is prepared for the day you try. Now get your ass to Pyongyang where it belongs, and don't let me catch your nanny police-state ass burning an American flag on the way out.
@onceagain @r75 It's a misdemeanor, stupid. Not a crime. Before you try to start sounding smart and/or trying to take away people's freedom, spool yourself up on law. Or maybe you've been smoking too (not "to," hick.) much dope yourself. Lay off the bath salts before you eat somebody's face off, and/or check yourself into rehab because you sound like and angry, ignorant drunk.
 @Portlander29 IF you break the law any law then yes you can be called a criminal. Liberals like to put a staircase system on laws so the first step is only a little bit breaking a law and soon the criminal reaches the top of the staircase and ends up doing hard time. If people do not show respect for all the laws then nothing is worth anything. If you do not like the law, then get it changed but do not break it. And yes breaking any laws does make you a "criminal" but you can change if you obey the laws.
Speeding is against the law, but doing it doesn't make one a "Criminal".
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To call this activity "criminal' is to use the word in its loosest form imagineable.
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To you, I suppose Rosa Parks was nothing but a dirty criminal when she sat at the front of the bus too, right?
The fact of the matter is these boys are underage and involved in highschool sports.There are policies in place. I think alot of this is going on and not reported,because football is a big money-maker,so it is overlooked. It was a overnight school sponsored event-then the coaches should be ashamed! I have never heard of a over night school sponsored event.When I was in high school the whole season was forfeited and the district championship because of drinking.It not only affects the players involved,but the whole team,and the whole school. I applaud the parents that turned them in.As for the comment that "kids will be kids"- that is so not true. I know of plenty of kids who do not do that,and gee whiz- they are having a wonderful time being a kid,or grew up being a kid.I for-one did not need to drink or use drugs to have a good time in school!.
Kids will be kids. How stupid are they to disrespect school property and their team? I bet it was one or two bad influences, a few followers, and several innocents. I do hope they learn their lesson that there is a time and place for everything.
>'"It doesn't matter if we win 10 games or zero games, this is not about football," said Hoppes.'
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Can I nominate Mr Hoppes to coach the UofO football team?
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Seems to me that he's got his priorities in the right order. A BIG part of education, post secondary education included, is teaching (by example) morals, integrity and consequences. Those consequences at times can negatively affect an athletic programs W and L collumns. So be it.
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Also of note is that, from what I've read, the majority of parents are in support of the disciplinary action.
Hopefully, they will be kicked out of all extra curricula activities, including sports, clubs, etc. Â If not, then they won't learn anything. Â Of course, some have worthless parents who will demand that they be allowed to go on as if nothing has happened. Â As far as drinking is concerned, this has been happening for many many years. Â Â Then the drugs came along and that only added to the problem. Â The good kids will learn from their mistakes and go on to have good futures. Â The rest will become deadbeats and losers, and never contribute anything worthwhile to society.
 @boomer Actually they could go on to win the Rose Bowl
@Rugrat @boomer Or set Olympic and world swimming records. Still, I agree with Boomer. If there are policies, they must be enforced.
I am shocked, I tell you, Shocked that the school didn't give the football players a pass like they usually do on every other misbehaviour they do.
 @No_Conservitards Like the occupy scumbags that got a pass while they destroyed public property nation wide and were supported by our president and his party or illegals aliens, the list goes on and on. Seems Americans likes to bend the rules as they see fit.Â
English much?
So what about MIP's by Consumption?
Were they busted in the act? Tough for law enforcement to give an MIP by consumption days after the fact.
throw them off the team. Its just football- one of Americas worst sports
@LostSoul Tell that to a Saints fan and you're likely to be found floating in the Mississippi River. :)
How to save a lot of money for schools: SHUT DOWN HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS.
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The argument of "It keeps them from bad activities after school" rings very hollow. If you want your kid to play a sport, feel free to have them join a club team and pay for it. Plenty are available.
"It doesn't matter if we win 10 games or zero games, this is not about football," said Hoppes."Â
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Congratulations Mr. Hoppes! You have it right. This is about young men learning to make wise choices in their lives, being responsible, disciplined, and law-abiding citizens. It's encouraging to see a Superintendant with some perspective. I wonder if a school Superintendant in Portland would come to the same conclusion. Again, kudos to you, Mr. Hoppes.
Ah, KATU - Astoria "''football players" are not professional NFL players or even adult aged college players. These are high school aged KIDS.Â
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What do you do with a train wreck high school football team that is all out - illegally drinking and impairing themselves with illegal substances like pot? YOU SERIUSLY CONSIDER CLOSING DOWN THE ENTIRE PROGRAM. And you deny these illegal acting "boys" the privilege this year - of participating in any other sports. For starters. It's about being a school, Astoria - not a Animal House college fraternity - and joke.Â
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This is not a "situation", Astoria School Superintendent Hoppes. This is a crisis - inside of your "education"program. Get a handle on it. Or the Superintendent needs to GO. And those coaches who were supervising a team building opportunity - but who clearly were ASLEEP ON THE JOB AND CHECKED OUT in regard to being proactively keeping these boys focused solely on football- they should be on some form of supervised probation, too. This crisis did not become an out of control all out DRUNKEN FRAT PARTY - overnight.Â
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These are high school STUDENTS - first and foremost. Remember that, Superintendent of School Hoppes - and get your high school and your students - on the right track. DON"T sweep this under the rug by refusing to hold YOURSELF and your coaches equally accountable.Â
 @englishdaisy Oh lawdy, high school kids are drinking and smoking reefer? What is Astoria ever to do? As if every other high school doesn't have athletes who drink and smoke weed. Blame the coaches for going to sleep at 3:30 in the morning? They aren't watching prisoners, they had no reason to believe their students would start partying in the middle of the football field. I think you are over reacting. This is not a "crisis" and I doubt this would even qualify as a "situation." This is just a group of teenagers doing what teenagers do. Was it irresponsible of them? Of course. But to over blow the situation into something it isn't (ie; a drunken frat party), is ridiculous. Quit acting as if the school officials are involved in some conspiracy to hide a drug epidemic in their school, they alerted the police and the media for cryin out loud! The school officials are properly handling the situation.
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@2nd Baseman Maybe if Daddy wasn't downtown brawling with the loggers over who gets the best pay, these kids would have better conservative role models.
They call it "HIGH SCHOOL" for a reason... Just sayin'... I don't agree with kids consuming booze, but what if they are OMMP? I see nothing wrong with it.
 @PDXBEAR What is the likelihood?Â
How come the DA's NEVER charge the kids AS ADULTS with drinking violations as they do with Murders?
@August100   Perhaps because it is legal to drink alcohol if you are an adult. Furthermore, it's a very far stretch to compare underage driniking to murder.
"Eight of the 28 players are in trouble for not turning in the players"
yea, like that's really going to happen.....
Wow, actually someone with guts to take a stand against their foolishness! Nice.
28?! Shewt, we didn't have 28 players on the football squad when I was at Reynolds.Â
@Dienekes4160 What year did you graduate from Reynolds? My brother was class of 1980. I went to Gresham High (class of 1978) right before they changed the district boundary.
@Dirtman I graduated in 1987. Gresham had about four times as many players as we did and were almost unstoppable. Our coach, Green, had a speaking part in the original Henry's beer commercial ("Bud") and we idolized him.
At least the kids stepped forward, even if it was after a parent alerted the school. Kids are going to be kids but they do need to understand there will be consequences. It appears the school is taking an approach that is both punitive and beneficial so hopefully the kids will learn a lesson. Unfortunately this occurred in a team environment so not only did those that participate hurt those that did not, they hurt the entire school.Â
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It may be time to think about changing their team name from Fishermen to Reefermen!