Ever since the November 19th death of FAMU drum major Robert D. Champion, rumors have swirled claiming that he was hazed that night in a ritual called “Crossing Bus C.” But this theory remains unverified by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office, or Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).The absence of verification by the detectives and medical examiners who are investigating the case has not stopped one reporter at a major Florida newspaper from portraying this theory as a proven fact.
A Miami Herald article by reporter Toluse Olorunnipa (pictured) begins by saying: “As Robert Champion began to walk down the aisle of a charter bus toward the group of rowdy bandmates who would beat him fiercely, he became a part of a tradition that is all too well-known at Florida A&M University: “crossing.” It’s a tradition that cost him his life.”
Olorunnipa did not cite any law enforcement or autopsy reports to back up this account. The Orange County sheriff and FDLE have not publicly released any findings from their ongoing investigation. A preliminary autopsy by the Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office was inconclusive (a fact that is actually noted in a sidebar column to Olorunnipa's own article).
The article by Olorunnipa points to the Champion family’s attorney as a reference for the “Bus C” story. Olorunnipa writes: “Champion was looking to join the ‘Bus C’ group after the Florida Classic game when he collapsed on the band’s charter bus and died, said Christopher Chestnut, a Gainesville attorney who is representing Champion’s family.”
“The initiation process for crossing over into Bus C involved walking from one end of a bus to the other while enduring a flurry of punches from members of the group, mostly percussionists,” Olorunnipa continues.
Again, the article fails to provide one quote from an Orange County or FDLE investigator to support these claims. The final report from the Orange County medical examiner could take up to three months to complete.
Champion’s parents chose to remain quiet when CNN reporter David Mattingly asked them if the emergency room doctors who attempted to save their son told them about any injuries on their son’s body.
“When I talked to his parents they did confirm that they talked to the doctors who were fighting to save their son’s life that night,” Mattingly said on Anderson Cooper 360. “I asked them: ‘What did the doctors tell you?’ Did they see any signs of any injuries or anything that might have contributed to his death? But on the advice of their attorney, they wouldn’t answer that question.”
Despite the absence of verification from law enforcement or medical examiners, Olorunnipa’s Miami Herald article is likely to persuade many readers to accept the “Crossing Bus C” theory as fact.