Family starts campaign to prevent bullying, hazing

KINGFISHER, Okla. (KFOR) - Mason Mecklenburg's life would change forever once he came forward about a hazing and bullying issue at kingfisher High School.

Now, he and his family are wanting to change the life of others for the better.

The Mecklenburg family has launched a website and created a campaign, "The Dark Side of Friday Night Lights" to raise awareness and educate Oklahoman's to prevent future abuse, not wanting anyone to have to go through what Mason did.

"There was a lot of beatings and whippings with towels while he was naked in the shower until he bled," Justin Mecklenburg, Mason's father said. "There, he was electrocuted with a taser stun gun on multiple occasions."

Mason Mecklenburg endured four years of abuse at Kingfisher High School within the football program , and it only got worse as time went on.

"He was shot at close range with a paintball gun while Coach Myers stood there and watched and laughed at it," Justin said. "Then the worst of all was that his sophomore season, as the abuse continued, he was sexually assaulted inside the football locker room by five of his teammates, five upperclassmen."

Mason was terrified to speak up.

"What a lot of people don't realize is that, there was a death threat given to Mason against his mother, and basically they said if you talk we will go kill your mother," Justin said.

After Mason graduated, he came to his parents and told them everything, and said something needs to be done or this will continue to happen to more kids.

After winning the settlement of $5 million against Kingfisher High School, they created a website and campaign called "The Dark Side of Friday Night Lights."

"What is on that website is basically a history of abuses that have taken place under Jeff Myers at Kingfisher High School," Justin said. "They go all the way back to 2005, which is the first year that Jeff Myers showed up in Kingfisher."

"The purpose for us doing that is to educate the community and to educate other communities and other schools of what could be happening inside their locker room and the danger of having an abusive coach that creates and fosters these toxic cultures inside their football program," Justin said.

The price of doing good does come at a cost, something Justin says isn't easy to live with.

"The difficult part is doing so, requires us to relive this day in and day out," Justin said. "It would have been very, very simple for him to have taken that settlement money and just rode off into the sunset and say goodbye Kingfisher, I'm never coming back. But instead, he's made a commitment to help others."

The website also has a handful of resources for kids who may be going through something similar. They can report issues, seek help and more.