The Walled Lake Western football team's hazing incident is a bad situation that has been made considerably worse by the way both the Warriors' football program and Walled Lake's School District have handled the fall-out from it.

As a rule, you need to jump out in front of these type of situations, be proactive and nip the scandal in the bud by taking ownership and addressing it straight on. In my opinion, stonewalling is the absolute worst thing you can do. Sadly, that is what we've gotten across the board from those involved in overseeing the damage control of this already well-publicized incident.

Although a recent e-mail was sent out through the district and to parents of Western students denouncing the incident as "unacceptable,", the company line this last week since the story broke has been to basically say "no comment," to every inquiry by the local media, who are rightfully looking to report on what exactly happened and what is being done to make it right.

All you've heard has been silence. That isn't smart public relations and only serves to let the situation take on a life of its own, which it has - have you been listening to local sports radio lately? 

The hazing itself that took place was wrong. Whether it started out as innocent and good-hearted or not, it ended in a significant crossing of the line.

Behavior like this, whether committed with malice or not, needs to be punished. Accountability needs to be established and a precedent set. This is especially the case right now due to the current climate surrounding high school students in Walled Lake – two kids have died in the past two years as a result boys-being-boys shenanigans going too far – and the growing national focus being shined on bullying in our education system.

Frankly, I am shocked that the school district, at the very least, hasn't issued a public statement saying it will not tolerate this form of football tradition, that bullying and hazing of any sort at the school will be dealt with harshly and an investigation into any possible pattern of past similar activity was going to be immediately undertaken.

Rather, it chose to remain mum and, let speculation to continue to run rampant. Bad move.

I am also disappointed in the fact that from what I understand certain powers that be at Western attempted to sit on this information and sweep it under the rug for the sake of preserving what has been a banner campaign so far on the gridiron, instead of coming forth and teaching the team a lesson in integrity alas the Clarkston forfeit situation last month. My sources tell me that much of the disciplinary action here was initiated by the district superintendent. I personally would have liked the coaching staff and athletic department to have come out publicly – like Clarkston did in September – last Friday, admitting to the situations and announcing the suspensions themselves, as opposed to them being handed down from the school district.

In closing, I will say I like and respect Warriors head coach Mike Zdebski very much. I think he is a good man, who has gotten himself and his program entangled in an unfortunate event. Personally, I hope this incident doesn't wind up costing him his job.

However, I do hope it acts to show him and other school districts and athletic programs around the area how not to handle a situation like this and sparks a change of protocol in some of the ways things are done over at Western from now on.