PEORIA, AZ — A growing number of former Liberty High School wrestlers are coming forward with allegations of sexualized hazing, including two brothers who said the improper behavior occurred repeatedly over multiple years.
Ryder and Rex Fortenberry, standout athletes who previously placed in the state wrestling tournament, left the Liberty team after their family reported concerns about athlete misconduct to school officials.
"It was multiple situations over the course of the years that we were on the high school team," Ryder Fortenberry said. "It wasn't just me and my brother; it was other kids that were victims to what happened."
Both the Peoria Unified School District and Peoria Police Department had previously investigated some of the claims, but both reopened their investigations this school year. The team's head wrestling coach, Eric Brenton, is currently on administrative leave pending the outcome of the district's investigation.
The Fortenberrys' attorney said he plans to file a notice of claim against the district, Coach Brenton, and the Liberty High School athletic director in the coming days. A notice of claim serves as the precursor to a lawsuit.
"The only way that we can effectuate change, we can make things better for people, and make up for what happened, is if we hold the people responsible for their reckless behavior and allowing it to occur," their attorney, Kevin Biniazan, said.
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A different attorney representing three other former wrestlers, who do not want to be publicly identified, filed a notice of claim earlier this month. The claim alleges members of the Liberty wrestling team were subjected to "sexual hazing, sexual harassment and attempted or actual sexual assault by fellow team members." The lawyer said wrestlers were forcibly stripped naked, and in other instances, athletes pushed their genitalia into other wrestlers' faces.
Several former athletes told the ABC15 Investigators that the alleged hazing happened in the wrestling room at Liberty High School and on team trips.
In 2024, Coach Brenton denied knowledge of hazing when questioned by school district officials. ABC15 reached out to Brenton several times since August, and he had deferred comment to the school district spokesperson.
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