Texas Cowboys event included paddling, animal abuse, says family of student who died after wreck
Relatives of a University of Texas student who died a month after he was grievously injured in a crash returning from a Texas Cowboys off-campus retreat say they learned he was paddled with a stick during hazing rituals, leaving welts on his body that were still visible at the time of his death.
The family of Nicholas Cumberland said they also were told that at the retreat, another new member of the group bit off the head of a live hamster at the urging of older members.
Cumberland’s family released their findings, the details of which have not previously been reported, to the American-Statesman this week. The family told the newspaper and other media outlets last month that they had discovered in conversations with people who attended the retreat that hazing had occurred in the hours before the wreck that led to the death of Nicholas, a 20-year-old majoring in business, finance and radio-television-film.
Meanwhile, the UT Police Department confirmed to the Statesman that it has opened an investigation into the hazing allegation involving the Cowboys, a prominent spirit group that fires Smokey the Cannon after Longhorn scores at home football games.
Read more: https://www.statesman.com/news/20181213/texas-cowboys-event-included-paddling-animal-abuse-says-family-of-student-who-died-after-wreck
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