5 Wheaton Football Players Reportedly Face Felony Charges in Teammate Hazing

Five football players at Wheaton College in Illinois are facing felony charges stemming from a 2016 hazing incident with a teammate. 

Per Christy Gutowski and Stacy St. Clair of the Chicago Tribune, the five players used duct tape to restrain a freshman teammate and he was "beaten and left half-naked with two torn shoulders on a baseball field."

James Cooksey, Kyler Kregel, Benjamin Pettway, Noah Spielman and Samuel TeBos are expected to turn themselves in after a judge signed arrest warrants for each of them, per Gutowski and St. Clair. 

The players have been charged with aggravated battery, mob action and unlawful restraint.

The victim in the case issued a statement to the Chicago Tribune: "This has had a devastating effect on my life. What was done to me should never occur in connection with a football program or any other activity. ... I am confident that the criminal prosecution will provide a fair and just punishment to the men who attacked me."

All five players who have been charged are still listed as active members on Wheaton's football roster for the 2017 season. 

The victim has since left Wheaton and currently attends college in Indiana.