Suspensions of Sayreville head coach, assistants after football hazing scandal extended at school board meeting

SAYREVILLE (WABC) -- The tenure of the football coaches at Sayreville War Memorial High School and a locker room hazing scandal at the New Jersey school high school dominated a school board meeting Tuesday night.

No matter how many people turned out to support their football coach, no matter how emotional, no matter how angry, it didn't have an impact on the school board's decision.

"The board has painted a picture of the coaching staff that was negligent, I believe it was the responsibility of the school board to provide us with the resources and you failed us," one person said.

By the end of the night, the Sayrevile school board affirmed the suspensions of George Najjar and four of his assistant coaches, in the scandal that's turned the sleepy town into national news.

Seven football players have been indicted for their alleged involvement in a string of sexual hazing incidents last month; though team member Vincent Fultz insists it just isn't true.

"I know that it's all false and it's hard to see that one thing can led to another and another and another and it just blows out of proportion," Fultz said.

"If I was teaching math and I stepped out into the hallway to speak to my supervisor for three or four minutes and this activity that took place in the locker room took place in the back of the classroom, man I think I'd be out of the building in seconds," another person said.

But though school administrators have cancelled the football season outright this year, the five coaches have not been fired, and state law requires they keep their paychecks during their suspensions. As for now, they sit on the sidelines.

"This evening we took another wrenching yet important and necessary step in demonstrating to this great community that the safety and welfare of our students I by far our highest priority," a board member said.

No adults at the school have been charged.

The future of football at Sayreville War Memorial is still unknown.