Hear from the parents of three Warren De La Salle football players charged in hazing case

Parents of Michael Young, Galiko Lovelace, Ricky Pearson speak to Local 4

WARREN, Mich. – Local 4 spoke with the parents of three Warren De La Salle football players who have been charged in the hazing case.

Michael Young, 18; Galiko Lovelace, 17; and Ricky Pearson, 18; were arraigned last week. They are three of the seven players -- Sean Bonery, Cleveland Harville III and two minors are the others -- charged with misdemeanors for allegedly hazing teammates during an Oct. 19 at a team dinner.

From left to right: Galiko Lovelace, Michael Young, Ricky Pearson, Sean Bonery (WDIV)
Fifth Warren De La Salle football hazing suspect arraigned

Warren police conducted an investigation into the De La Salle football program after the team forfeited its Michigan high school playoff game due to allegations of hazing.

“I am crushed,” said Layota Young, Michael Young’s mother.

One week ago, players had their mugshots taken and were arraigned via video, charged with misdemeanor.

St. Clair County prosecutors originally said they couldn’t proceed with charges due to a lack of evidence, but that drastically changed the next day, when two teammates came forward as victims.

Latoya Young said her son is a team leader.

Nekita Lovelace said her son, Galiko, was never named in any of her talks with the school about what happened. They said they were happy to talk to Warren police.

“Warren police -- we spoke with them,” she said. “My son and I volunteered and talked.”

Pearson’s parents said he is a member of the National Honor Society and the president of De La Salle’s Black Student Association.

All the parents said they were heavily involved in the football program, and a hazing ritual never came up.

You can hear more from the parents in the video posted above.

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About the Authors:

Local 4 Defender Shawn Ley is an Emmy award-winning journalist who has been with Local 4 News for more than a decade.

Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.