Coweta Parents Say Their Son Was Not Hazed

The parents of a Coweta High School Football player are speaking out against hazing accusations made against their son's fellow teammates.

The parents say their son is not a victim and that this is all just a misunderstanding. They say their son was not hazed, and that the school's decision to punish his teammates is extreme.

"These kids have been punished for something that they didn't do in an extreme manner and we just want it to be right," Greg Barlow.

Greg's 15-year-old son is a sophomore and plays on the Coweta High School Football team. The Barlows say they got a call Wednesday from school leaders saying that a video of their son being hazed by his teammates emerged on social media.

School leaders told them the video showed their son on the ground, being sprayed with water, and sexually assaulted with a pencil. The caption written on the video read "hazing at its finest."

But as the Barlows watched the video, they say they felt a sense of relief.

"No one's touching him, nobody is restraining him, nobody lays a hand on him," said Barlow.

The Barlows say the video merely showed a situation of horseplay between their son and his best friends.

"Our son wasn't hazed, he wasn't assaulted, he wasn't bullied, he was down there on his own trying to be the funny guy," said Barlow.

But last week school leaders launched an investigation and punished 3 students.

"They're suspended for 45 days and they have hazing on their transcripts, so he hates that for his friends," said Jenni Barlow.

Though they say they appreciate the school's quick response, the Barlows believe the punishments are unnecessary.

"We want these kids names cleared in the community I want them to not have any of this on their record," said Jenni.

Police say they were told about the incident on Wednesday and started an investigation immediately. They expect to have a final report on Monday.