Beverly, Mass., Lacrosse Players To Miss Championship For Smoking Cigars

Two lacrosse players from Beverly, Mass., will miss the D-2 state championship lacrosse game in their senior year because of a little celebrating they did after their high school graduation.

Nick Donovan and Dylan Jutras graduated from Beverly High School last Sunday, and a photo was snapped of the two, along with two other students, smoking celebratory cigars after the ceremony. The photo was published in this week’s edition of the Beverly Citizen newspaper, and shortly afterward, Donovan and Jutras, both 18, were told they would have to miss the rest of his lacrosse season for breaking the rule about tobacco use, according to CBS Boston.

“The punishment doesn’t seem to fit the crime,” Donovan’s father, John, said. “I guess somebody called the school and said, ‘Hey, student athletes are having a cigar as part of a celebration,’” Donovan says. “And then things evolved from there.”

Several players on the Beverly lacrosse team said they were disappointed with the decision, but decided not to make any public comments about the matter, saying instead that they were focused on Saturday’s championship game against Marblehead.

It’s unclear where the punishment originated, as the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association said it did not suspend the players.

Photo via CBS Boston