{"id":2560,"date":"2026-06-12T18:33:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T18:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=2560"},"modified":"2026-06-12T18:33:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T18:33:00","slug":"cigars-smoked-by-suspended-ipswich-lacrosse-players-were-real-school-officials-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=2560","title":{"rendered":"Cigars smoked by suspended Ipswich lacrosse players were real, school officials say"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The cigars that several Ipswich High School lacrosse players were photographed smoking last week, leading to their suspension and the forfeiture of a playoff game, were in fact real, not fake as some parents claimed, school officials said Friday. <\/span><\/p>\n

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In a statement, Ipswich Schools Superintendent Brian J. Blake and Ipswich High Principal Jonathan Mitchell also essentially accused parents of orchestrating a coverup with a false claim that the cigars contained chamomile and English breakfast tea rather than tobacco, which violates state athletic guidelines. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn support of this claim administrators were shown a receipt from Shaw\u2019s grocery store,\u201d the administrators said. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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On Thursday, \u201cin light of the uproar generated in the media,\u201d Mitchell visited that store \u201cto see if employees could reproduce a receipt of the tea purchases that went into the purportedly fake cigars, administrators said. <\/span><\/p>\n

A manager produced a receipt indicating the purchases were made shortly after 1 p.m. on June 8, roughly 20 minutes after Mitchell had alerted six families by email about the potential rules violation and \u201cimpending\u201d probe, administrators said. <\/span><\/p>\n

The \u201creceipt allegedly supporting the claim that they were filled with tea had the date and time smudged out,\u201d administrators said. <\/span><\/p>\n

Photos also suggested the cigars were real, administrators said, offering their version of events in a back-and-forth youth sports controversy that has sparked intense debate. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe first photograph \u2014 and the only one of the two which apparently was provided to the media \u2014 showed the boys holding full length cigars with the cigar bands visible,\u201c administrators said. \u201dThe second photograph, which apparently was not provided to the media, showed the cigars smoked down significantly; a cloud of smoke surrounding one of the students; and a torch-type lighter visible in the hand of another of the students.”<\/span><\/p>\n

The administrators lowered the boom on the morning of June 9, the day of the scheduled postseason game.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen district administrators met on the morning of June 9 to review the evidence they had obtained, it was determined that the cigars were in fact not \u2018fake,\u2019 as they had been told,\u201d the statement said. \u201cThe administrators concluded that there had been a violation of the Chemical Health Policy, which requires suspension, and the families of the six members were informed that they were suspended for the Semifinal game.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

The officials also said the suspensions had left the lacrosse team with just 11 players for the June 9 playoff game, since three additional players who weren\u2019t suspended opted not to play in solidarity with those who were disciplined. <\/span><\/p>\n

The sport requires 10 players on the field at all times except for \u201cman down\u201d penalty situations, and the 11 players that remained available for the game voted \u201coverwhelmingly\u201d to forfeit, administrators said. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe fully understand the disappointment, frustration, and emotions that have accompanied this outcome,\u201d administrators said. \u201cAs educators and school leaders, we are always disappointed when we must make difficult decisions such as this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The administrators\u2019 statement came after police body camera footage showed a tense meeting Tuesday between Mitchell and fathers of two suspended players. <\/span><\/p>\n

In the video taken at about 10:15 a.m. at the school, John Gianakakis and Drew Wile pressed Mitchell for an explanation after several players were ruled ineligible. Mitchell called police shortly after 10 a.m. and asked for an officer to respond to the main office \u201cASAP,\u201d according to a police report. The officer wrote that when he reached the office he saw Gianakakis and Wile speaking with Mitchell, and Mitchell \u201cindicated that he wanted me to enter and join the meeting.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBoth were noticeably upset by the ruling and wanted to vent and be heard by Mitchell,\u201d the report stated. <\/span><\/p>\n

Mitchell told the parents that he, along with Blake and Athletic Director Tom Gallagher, reviewed evidence before reaching a decision.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cI\u2019m very disappointed to have to do this, but I\u2019m doing my job,\u201d Mitchell tells the parents in the video. \u201cHow do we enforce the rules? I can\u2019t just look the other way. We\u2019ve got more evidence that says they did it than not.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Gianakakis and Wile argued that the school failed to consider the evidence they provided or their explanation that the cigars were made as props. They also contended the players were being punished too harshly for what they described as a graduation tradition.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a fake cigar, it\u2019s been proven,\u201d Gianakakis said during the exchange. \u201cNow you\u2019re telling all us parents, all us adults … that we\u2019re liars.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Wile accuses Mitchell of initially indicating the players would be allowed to play before reversing course after Blake became involved.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou were totally letting these kids play till you got bullied,\u201d Wile says. \u201cYes or no?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Mitchell denies the decision was made lightly. He says he brought in Blake and Gallagher because of the magnitude of the situation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a huge decision, I\u2019m not going to make it solo,\u201d Mitchell says. \u201cSo I bring in the superintendent because I trust his wisdom. I bring in the athletic director because he\u2019s always been by my side. And we talked about it for the last two days.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The meeting grew more heated, with the parents arguing the decision would devastate the players and put younger athletes in a difficult position if the team tried to play without the suspended seniors.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody had their due process,\u201d Mitchell says. \u201cWe looked at the evidence. We made a final determination. That\u2019s the end of the story.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Gianakakis\u2019s son, Nick Gianakakis, 18, said Wednesday that the cigars contained no tobacco. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey burnt quick because it was tea grinds, there was no tobacco, and so they burnt quick and they were all falling apart from the wind and they were wrapped horrible, and they just smelled horrible,\u201d he said. <\/span><\/p>\n

Wile couldn\u2019t immediately be reached for comment Friday, and John Gianakakis referred questions to his lawyer, Marc J. Randazza, who when reached by email said, \u201cWe don\u2019t really trust the Globe.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

The school administrators, meanwhile, framed the episode as a lesson for the suspended youngsters. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the most important lessons we teach young people is that choices have consequences, even when those consequences are difficult or painful,\u201d the administrators said Friday. \u201cWhile this outcome was heartbreaking for the student-athletes, their families, their coaches, and our school community, we remain committed to applying our policies consistently and acting in what we believe to be the best interests of the integrity of our educational and athletic programs.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Material from prior Globe stories was used in this report. This story will be updated when more information is released. <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

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School administrators said in a statement Friday they’d determined “that the cigars were in fact not \u2018fake,’ as they had been told.” <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2440,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport"],"yoast_head":"\nCigars smoked by suspended Ipswich lacrosse players were real, school officials say - Boston Relocation Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=2560\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cigars smoked by suspended Ipswich lacrosse players were real, school officials say - 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