A former LSU athlete is facing arrest after police said freshmen teammates were hazed at a Halloween party hosted by him. According to The Advocate, Dakota Hurbis, 22, is wanted on one count of criminal hazing, which is a misdemeanor. The incident happened when Hurbis was still a student at LSU.
The arrest warrant says the LSU Police Department received an anonymous complaint from a student on the school’s swimming and diving team back in April alleging “possible hazing.” The party happened at Redpoint Apartments for a barbeque on Halloween last year. At the end of the party, the freshmen teammates were ordered to learn a “chant” or “fight song” yelled at the start of every swim meet. They allegedly were punished if they made a mistake.
“If they did not recite the chant correctly they were expected to drink from a gallon jug of alcohol or a gallon jug of milk,” the warrant says. This reportedly led to multiple team members being “very intoxicated and vomited” after the fight song lesson concluded. Witnesses told police that Hurbis was the “loudest and most forceful person verbally berating them to drink.” The party took place at his apartment.
This is not the first time LSU has had issues with hazing. Back in 2017, 18-year-old Max Gruver died after taking 10 to 12 pulls of alcohol during a hazing incident at the fraternity house. It led to 10 people being arrested, and the story made national headlines. It also led to Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards signing the “Max Gruver Act” into law.
“Students need to know that their leaders take hazing seriously,” said Edwards. “This legislation sends the clear message that the state of Louisiana does not tolerate hazing of any kind. It is one important step toward ending the culture of hazing and secrecy in university organizations and creating a culture of openness, honesty and accountability.” A hazing conviction could lead to a six-month sentence in prison and a fine up to $1,000.
Hurbis is from Ann Arbor, Michigan, was on the diving team for four seasons. Before enrolling at LSU, Hurbis was a four-year Academic All-Conference award winner, a four-year Academic All-State winner and a winner of the Michigan Boys Division I State Championships for Saline High School.