One of the three Ooltewah High basketball players charged with the rape of a 15-year-old teammate videoed the attack with a pool cue, a person close to the investigation said.
The youth doing the video also took part in the attack, it was stated.
The informant also said such attacks "are a ritual for freshmen and what happened in this case is not an isolated incident."
The source said four of the Ooltewah team members were abused.
It was claimed that the youth in the rape case "was abused more because he resisted."
The informant said, "Also, beating of the boys was something done on a regular basis in the locker room in the dark."
The trio was charged after an incident at a rental cabin in Gatlinburg while the team was in Sevier County for the Smokey Mountain Tournament.