Warren De La Salle football player sues city, police over hazing scandal investigation

WARREN, Mich. – Reports of hazing at De La Salle High School led Warren police to investigate and now one of the football players named in the scandal is suing the department.

The player says the department only targeted Black athletes and that he was not even a student at the time. The lawsuit alleges that many Black athletes lost their scholarships, despite charges eventually being dropped.

Read: Warren De La Salle students suspended in football hazing investigation file lawsuit against school

“When you get accused of something like that -- I mean, people start to look at you different instantly,” Cleveland Harville said.

Harville is suing the City of Warren and the officers who investigated the hazing incident. Harville’s dream was to play college football and when his name was linked to hazing, that dream ended.

“They (the schools) just stopped responding,” Harville said.

The hazing incident took place in October of 2019. Harville and his attorney Todd Perkins said Harville wasn’t a student at that time, was not a player, and was not there when the incident took place.

“So lacking in any comprehensiveness that you wouldn’t even check the school records to determine he wasn’t there at the time,” Perkins said.

Perkins said only Black players were charged and the charges were eventually dropped.

“My trajectory was altered and stopped and I just want to be put on that same path back to where I was basically,” Harville said.

Warren police will not comment on pending litigation. The school was not named in the lawsuit.

Coverage timeline

• Oct. 31, 2019: Warren De La Salle football team forfeits playoff game amid allegations of hazing in team locker room
• Nov. 1, 2019: Warren police begin to investigate hazing allegations
• Nov. 5, 2019: Investigation into hazing incident intensifies
• Nov. 7, 2019: Warren police complete investigation, prepare to recommend charges against 3 students
• Nov. 8, 2019: Officials announce 3 teens could face charges
• Nov. 8, 2019: Hazing victim refuses to be interviewed
• Nov. 20, 2019: St. Clair County prosecutor appointed to case
• Dec. 16, 2019: Students suspended in investigation file lawsuit against school
• Dec. 16, 2019: De La Salle football coach Mike Giannone no longer with school
• Dec. 16, 2019: De La Salle releases detailed timeline of alleged incident, investigation
• Dec. 17, 2019: Prosecutor asks Warren police to interview more people for investigation
• Dec. 17, 2019: Parents protest to have school president fired
• Jan. 10, 2020: Students return to class after hazing accusations
• Jan. 28, 2020: Prosecutors say there’s not enough evidence to take case to court
• Jan. 28, 2020: Prosecutors blast De La Salle for handling of investigation
• Jan. 29, 2020: New victim comes forward
• Jan. 29, 2020: Victim pledges to speak to police
• Jan. 30, 2020: Second accuser comes forward
• Feb. 13, 2020: More than 100 De La Salle parents share disgust over how school handled allegations
• Feb. 20, 2020: 7 people expected to face charges, Warren police say