Speculation swirled after an incident caused Tamaqua to cancel its District 11 playoff football game against North Schuylkill in November.

The Tamaqua Area School District announced that a “hazing” incident occurred inside of the football team’s field house on Nov. 4.

The investigation started that night within hours, said Larry Wittig, school board president.

By Nov. 22, a total of three TASD students were expelled.

Wittig said the rumors “took a life of their own.” Although there is no police report available, Wittig said to media after a November school board meeting that rumors of the incident being sexual in nature are false.

“Social media can say anything they want to - and did. And they indict these kids, unjustly, with no proof, and frankly, let themselves up for a lawsuit,” Wittig said.

“I don’t want to preempt the police report, however, I would suggest that those people that do perpetrate these social media blasts - (to) lawyer up.”

District parents and guardians filled the Tamaqua board meetings over the course of a month.

The father of the victim addressed the public at a meeting after days of many social media accusations and rumors.

“There is no cover-up going on,” the father said.

“We are born in this country with certain rights, and you have those rights whether you are the victim, whether you’re a suspect or whether you’re a person of interest - you infringe upon them, you lose things,” added the victim’s father.

“Slow down - it’s not being swept under the rug. It’s being dealt with properly and that’s all I can ask.”

As of Thursday, Tamaqua police said the investigation is ongoing.