Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics has suspended its men's rugby team following an alleged on-campus arson incident, Jan. 14. An investigation revealed that two players torched a storage shed over discontent in the team over their trainer's coaching style.
Due to the suspension, the team is prohibited from practicing and participating in competitions, including the scheduled games against Navy and Susquehanna this weekend.
Christopher J. Petri, 22, of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Sean R. Herbert, 21, of the U.K., were charged Monday with felony arson and other crimes for deliberately setting ablaze the equipment shed for the rugby and cross country teams of the university. The fire caused damages worth more than $30,000.
Both the players admitted to the fire and told the police that they were drunk when the incident took place. Police were also informed about a party at "the rugby house" the night before the fire, The Patriot News reports.
Partygoers told the police that open conversations and discussions about the status of the team and treatment of members by the head coach were held during the party. They also heard multiple rugby players joking about burning down the shed or completely messing with it.
Court documents revealed that Herbert and Petri were seen leaving the party at the North Patterson Street residence with a lighter and a bottle of lighter fluid. The shed was located near a parking lot next to the university soccer fields on North Atherton Street, Center Daily Times reports.
Herbert and Petri were arraigned and released on a $25,000 unsecured bail each. Their preliminary hearing is scheduled, Wednesday.
Jeff Nelson, Penn State Athletic Department Spokesman, said that Student Conduct office has launched a judicial review of the arson.
"Athletics is looking into the matter as well," Nelson said. "There will not be any further comment on this matter until the Student Conduct office and Athletics have completed their reviews," State College reports.
The rugby program is considered a team sport at the University rather than a club sport and therefore, part of Penn State's intercollegiate athletics department.
Penn State's men's and women's rugby programs were established around 1962 after a graduate student from New Zealand and a research associate from England lamented on the lack of any team field games at the university.
