Turn on any television news program, read any newspaper, or follow any online blog, and you’ll surely find some sort of commentary on one of the lead stories in America right now: the Miami Dolphins’ bullying scandal.

Though various reports have surfaced, the main premise involves the incessant harassment and hazing of Dolphins’ offensive tackle Jonathan Martin by a group of his teammates, mainly offensive guard Richie Incognito, who has a reputation for being a troublemaker.

With the advent of social media – Facebook, Twitter, etc. – bullying has become a hot-button issue. It seems that every day there is a new story about kids who drop out of school, or even worse commit suicide, based on excessive bullying.

Now that bullying has reached the NFL – the highest revenue grossing sport in America – the issue has gained national attention. Even 300-plus-pound linemen, who society deems as tough guys, can crumble under the constant pressure of being bullied.

On the local level, the Catholic high schools of the diocese have a zero tolerance policy against bullying. Though a situation could hypothetically arise at any time, these schools rarely have any major problems.

That is partially due to the Catholic environment that these schools foster, but it also involves the preparation the schools take to be ready to defuse any bullying situation before it escalates.

“It is made clear to all students that all words and actions are to reflect the primary truth that they are created in the image and likeness of God,” says an excerpt from the St. John’s Prep, Astoria, statement on bullying.

Total Involvement

At St. Francis Prep, Fresh Meadows, any bullying situation involves the students, parents, coaches, dean and guidance department. If ever a situation arises, it is addressed immediately.

“Sometimes kids don’t realize that saying something that they think is not hurtful in a Tweet or a Facebook post is actually very hurtful to someone,” said Sal Fischetti, athletic director at the Prep. “You have to be very conscious of that fact. You should treat someone the way you want to be treated back.”

Cyberbullying, which offers an anonymous bullying platform online, can be almost impossible to moderate, Fischetti said. An ongoing awareness is essential to combating this epidemic.

“It (bullying) adds to the litany of things that coaches and players are asked to be held accountable for aside from the basic X’s and O’s of whatever sport they might be playing or coaching,” Fischetti said.

Anti-Bullying Bracelets

A few schools in the diocese have begun anti-bullying campaigns. At Bishop Ford H.S., Park Slope, the administration brought in a speaker to talk about bullying in a way relatable to the young students. Incoming freshmen at Ford as well as students from St. Saviour H.S. and St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Academy, both Park Slope, attended the presentation.

As part of the campaign, Manny Fernandez, the dean of boys at Bishop Ford, ordered 200 blue bracelets inscribed with the phrase “Be a Buddy Not a Bully” and distributed them first to the school’s football and basketball players.

“I gave them (bracelets) to the athletes because other kids look up to them,” said Fernandez, a former baseball and track coach at Ford. “I always told my athletes, ‘You are the role models. You are the ones that kids in the building are going to be looking up to. So you have to be different. If you see something, don’t be afraid to say something.’”

In the situation involving the Dolphins, Jonathan Martin did not tell anyone what was happening. Instead, he tried to deal with the issue internally, which ultimately led to him leaving the team. It’s imperative for students to confide in someone else if they feel uncomfortable with the way they are treated.

“If you have a problem with anybody or feel that you are being bullied, come to me. I’ll deal with it,” Fernandez said. “I know too many people that have been hurt because of bullying.”

Holy Cross H.S., Flushing, also gave out orange “Stop Bullying” bracelets. Additionally, Patrick Hogarty, a social studies teacher at Holy Cross for the past eight years, was given the task of updating the school’s student-athlete handbook for this school year.

He said that bullying is classified under “hazing.” The handbook states: “Hazing is committing an act against a student, or coercing a student into committing an act, that creates a substantial risk of harm to a person, in order for the student to be initiated into or affiliated with a student organization, or for any other purpose.”

Oftentimes, hazing takes on a physical connotation, but hazing can also affect someone mentally, as evidenced with the Dolphins’ scandal.

“People think football players are these big, giant guys and nothing can hurt them,” Hogarty said. “But this situation shows us that words and actions – no matter how minute they are – can hurt.”

Girls Also At Risk

Similarly, there’s a common misconception that if hazing and bullying occur, it only involves young men or boys. However, an all-girls’ school like Bishop Kearney H.S., Bensonhurst, must also prepare for potential incidents of bullying.

“Everybody’s different, and different people act differently to different situations,” said Kearney athletic director Anthony Troiano.

“Not everybody is going to be able to stand up for themselves in certain situations. There are many sensitive people, and a comment can be misunderstood.”

Troiano said that it could be difficult for coaches to identify bullying situations, since they are only with the team for about two hours a day. Therefore, teachers and administrators, who are around the students more frequently, are vital to stopping a situation before it escalates.

Troiano remains in constant contact with the captains of Kearney’s sports teams. In addition to finding out what happened in a particular game, he always asks if there is anything else he should know about.

“They (the captains) generally have a very good idea of what’s going on with their teams, sort of like an extension of the coach in the school,” Troiano said.

He also appoints two athletic chairpersons – one senior and one junior – who work with him on a daily basis to help keep tabs on what’s going on with the teams. Sometimes hearing about bullying from a peer helps students gain a better understanding of the importance of the issue.

Unfortunately, it has taken a victim of bullying, Jonathan Martin in this case, to cast light upon this issue. Eventually, coverage of the topic will die down, and it may not be brought up again until another serious situation arises.

However, constant reinforcement of the effects of bullying can ultimately save lives, which is why the situation with the Dolphins has garnered so much attention.

“If one less kid is being bullied because of what’s happening in Miami being publicized, that’s a really good thing,” Fischetti said.

More details are expected to emerge from the Martin-Incognito scandal, but for local high school students, at least the positives of gaining an awareness of bullying could emerge from this negative situation.