16 former Michigan hockey players sue over alleged sexual hazing; check details

Sixteen former University of Michigan men’s hockey players have sued the school in federal court, saying ritual sexual hazing was part of team life from 1984 to 2001 and that coaches knew and did not stop it.

The complaint, filed on Wednesday in Detroit, names only the university and its Board of Regents. The men are listed as John Does 1 through 16. Attorney Michael Pitt said the case grew out of talks among former teammates that began in 2024.

“The abuse was ritualized, meticulously planned, and sadistic. ... Enduring sexual abuse was required to be a member of the Michigan Men’s Ice Hockey team,” Pitt said.

What the lawsuit claims happened

The filing describes initiation rites carried out by older players on freshmen, often after heavy drinking. Players say they were stripped, had genital hair shaved on tables in team facilities, and in some cases were burned with a blowtorch, tied to helmets weighted with pucks, or penetrated with razor handles. Others say they were forced to swallow live fish.

The suit says Hall of Fame coach Red Berenson, who led Michigan from 1984 to 2017 and won national titles in 1996 and 1998, told upperclassmen to shave “from the neck down” so the marks would not show in clothes. It also names longtime assistant Mel Pearson, later the head coach, as someone who knew and told players to “just get through it.”

John Doe 3 said he told Berenson he did not want to take part. According to the complaint, the coach pressed him to be a “Michigan Man” and a “good teammate.”

Red Berenson and the university respond

Red Berenson, 86, first asked for time. “Give me a chance to absorb what's going on,” he said on Thursday. He later told MLive the team knew seniors ran an initiation but added, “We didn't promote it. We didn't encourage it.” Notably, Pearson has not commented.

In 2012, Berenson publicly ended “freshman hazing,” talking then about carrying bags and eating last. He also said some “captains got too carried away.” The new suit says that the public account left out the sexual abuse.

Michigan called the claims “disturbing” and denied legal blame.

“To the extent any former student athlete engaged in hazing or other misconduct, they were violating university policy,” spokesperson Paul Corliss said. “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.”

Why the case may be hard to win and why it was filed

Michigan could argue the men waited too long. The school used that defense in earlier suits over decades-old abuse by campus sports doctor Robert Anderson, then paid $490 million to more than 1,000 people. Pitt said the hockey players want accountability and privacy. They are asking for damages and mandatory anti-hazing training for all Michigan athletes.

The university says current players complete yearly training on hazing and misconduct. The lawsuit has not been tested in court. The allegations remain unproven.