New York high school’s Newburgh Free Academy dismisses its football team’s promising season after locker room ‘rap battle’ drama

A New York high school has dismissed the remainder of its varsity football season after a “rap battle” between teammates turned into a locker room brawl last month, according to a report.

Newburgh Free Academy’s promising season in the Hudson Valley was canceled before the Goldbacks were scheduled to play Middletown this week in the Section 9 Class AA semifinals, The Middletown Times Herald-Record reported this on Tuesday.

A source said the team’s outlet players got involved in a “rap battle” in which peers insulted each other, but things quickly got out of hand.

Players began throwing chairs at each other, causing one student to suffer serious bruising. sources told ABC 7.

Several teammates intervened during the game, the newspaper reported.

Players only directly connected to the showdown were suspended by head coach Bill Bianco before more players were also allowed to play for simply being in the locker room during the kerfuffle.

“It was literally just one incident,” the source told the Times Herald Record.

School officials did not let the issue rest and launched internal investigations at the main Newburgh campus and a second school campus without first alerting the coaching staff, the source alleged.

The coaching staff was then suspended, with the coaches of the junior varsity and freshman programs expected to intervene before the playoff game was forfeited, the source said.

“Unfortunately, due to the circumstances, the remainder of the football season has been canceled,” said school principal Dr. Jackielyn Manning Campbell wrote to parents in a letter Tuesday, according to the Times Herald Record.

“While I regret this outcome, it is a necessary step as we continue to gather information, support those affected and ensure accountability for those affected.”

The principal of Newburgh Free Academy told ABC 7 last week that her team is taking the allegations surrounding the incident “extremely seriously” after becoming aware of the possible code of conduct violations on Oct. 25.

“As part of my oversight of the investigation, I will ensure that the details of the investigation guide the next steps and decision-making process,” Campbell said. “These allegations are serious and require our serious attention to the matter.”