A Raleigh lacrosse-themed Instagram account has set off a firestorm after posting a photoshopped, lewd image featuring players from Athens Drive High School and four female students from rival Needham Broughton High School, drawing swift outrage from families and school officials. The image, which parents and students say was used to mock and harass young athletes, was deleted after it began circulating, but not before it ignited a broader outcry. Now, schools and parents are demanding accountability for whoever is behind the account, and the episode has reopened tense conversations about social-media harassment tied to high school sports in Wake County.
What was posted
As reported by The News & Observer, the altered image appeared on an account known as Red Cup Jags and included doctored photos of Athens Drive players alongside four Broughton students. The post was later deleted. According to the paper, Athens Drive officials told parents they will assign appropriate consequences related to the lewd, altered image. Agnes Stevens, identified in coverage, called the posts “threatening, demeaning and completely inappropriate.”
District policy and cyberbullying
Wake County’s anti-bullying and harassment policy explicitly covers cyberbullying and states that electronic posts that create a hostile educational environment can lead to discipline. The district outlines those standards and how allegations are handled on its policy page, the Wake County Public School System notes.
Parents demand action
Parents of students shown in the image have pressed school leaders for immediate consequences and have asked that the account owner be barred from the season if no action is taken. In an email to school officials, Eric David described the Red Cup Jags account as degrading and misogynistic and urged other players to remove their social media accounts to avoid being exploited, according to The News & Observer.
What happens next
School leaders say the matter is under review and that appropriate disciplinary steps will follow once investigations are complete. Families say they plan to watch closely to see how seriously the district treats online harassment tied to athletics and whether the account operator faces consequences from schools or social platforms.
