No charges filed in 'horseplay' by Bothell football players

SEATTLE (AP) — Police have declined to file criminal charges against players on a Washington state high school football team who acknowledged they poked other players inappropriately.

The Seattle Times reports police concluded that the behavior by members of the Bothell High team was horseplay without malicious or criminal intent or sexual motivation.

An investigation was launched after an 18-year-old student last spring told police he'd heard athletes describe a practice called "Rape Squad."

The student said he'd heard that players would yell those words before restraining a teammate, pulling his pants down and fondling or poking genitals.

Police reports obtained by The Seattle Times indicated the investigation was closed within days with an officer citing no evidence of a crime or victims.

A second investigation last month reached a similar conclusion.

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Information from: The Seattle Times, http://www.seattletimes.com