Portland, Ore. -- Grant High School students said a recent hazing incident was neither a "sex crime" nor a big deal. In fact, they said hazing is a long-standing tradition at the high school.
Noah Newman, a senior at Grant, was one of a few students who said the seniors-get-the-freshman mentality is common high school culture.
"This stuff happens everywhere, it really does," said Newman. "Any sports organization goes through hazing."
Students even have a name for it at the school: "G-ing." They said it usually involves punching a younger student in the groin, or anal penetration using a finger or other object.
But students said it didn't go that far during the incident Jan. 12,
after a JV basketball game in the locker room. It involved four juniors and a sophomore on the team.
"He went into the locker room and grabbed the kid's testicles and pulled them or twisted them or something and the other kid was flipping on and off the lights, " said Newman. "But that kid didn't get in that much trouble because that's all he was doing."
Four students were suspended after the incident was reported, and one of them remains on suspension. All four were kicked off the team.
Portland police said they are continuing to investigate this as a sex crime--saying it went "far beyond" hazing.
They cannot release details of what happened, because everyone is under the age of 18.
