Three H.S. basketball players charged with aggravated rape of freshman teammate

Three upperclassmen on the Ooltewah (Tenn.) High School basketball team have been charged with aggravated rape and assault after allegedly attacking a 15-year-old teammate. Their names have not been released because all are juveniles.

A relative told The Chattanoogan that the boy "was tortured" while the team was staying at a cabin in Gatlinburg, Tenn., during the Smoky Mountain Classic tournament.

The team coach took the boy to a local hospital on Dec. 23. He was released, but collapsed the next day. He was then sent to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, where he underwent surgery for a ruptured colon and bladder, according to a statement from the Gatlinburg Police.

It was not immediately clear what had caused the injuries. The family later discovered that he'd been beaten and sodomized with a pool cue during the overnight trip.

The boy is expected to recover physically. He continues to have nightmares and, according to family, "He thought that he was going to die as a result of the assault." He will need a catheter and colostomy bag for at least two weeks, as he continues to heal. The family has set up a GoFundMe account to help with his medical bills and recovery, which has already raised nearly $7,000 of the $10,000 goal.

"We can't give names because they're under 18 years of age, and since we're out of school for the holidays we haven't met yet to determine how they will be punished at school," Ooltewah High School Athletic Director Jesse Nayadley told the Times Free Press. "But as far as athletically, those three young men are no longer a part of the Ooltewah basketball team."