Woburn Schools Knew Of Prior Football Bullying Claims: Report

WOBURN, MA — Woburn Public Schools officials were aware of bullying allegations in the high school football program years before the alleged assault in September of a freshman player, the Boston Globe reported.

Three years prior to that incident, a 15-year-old player was "kicked so hard in the head by a teammate that he stumbled, dazed, from the practice field and vomited," the student said in a civil case pending in the state Supreme Judicial Court, the Globe reported.

The player said head coach Jack Belcher encouraged older players to "toughen up" young ones, according to the report. The player and his family said the district did not address the coach's methods after they reported the incident.

>>Read more in the Boston Globe.