Sixteen former Michigan hockey players sued the university Wednesday, alleging that former coaches and school employees ignored decades of ritualized sexual hazing. The players, who attended between 1984 and 2001, claim they were shaved, anally penetrated with razor handles, and forced into humiliating acts while nude as freshmen initiations.

The complaint alleges Hall of Fame coach Red Berenson condoned the hazing and punished a player who complained. Then-assistant Mel Pearson allegedly knew and told freshmen to "just get through it." The 16 anonymous players seek financial damages in federal court in Detroit. They began discussing their experiences in September 2024 and learned the rituals were more widespread than realized.

Pearson did not respond to ESPN. Berenson denied encouraging hazing to MLive: "We knew there was a certain element of initiation... We didn't promote it." University spokesman Paul Corliss called the allegations "disturbing" but "misleading," citing an anti-hazing policy since 1982. The university denies responsibility.

Berenson, 86, won two national titles in the 1990s and retired in 2017. Players claim genital shaving was a known tradition; some said pubic hair was removed with a blowtorch, and others said their penis was tied to a helmet or bucket filled with pucks. Equipment managers and trainers were allegedly present. One player said he reported abuse to the athletic director, after which Berenson cut his playing time. Michigan hired an outside law firm in 2022 to investigate the program under Pearson, who left when his contract expired.