FAMU Band Story Just Doesn't Add Up

NPR did a story this morning on Morning Edition about the continued fallout from the death of a Florida A&M University (FAMU) Band drum major, Robert Champion. It's being described as a "hazing scandal" and the cops have ruled the death a homicide resulting from a beating:

Champion was a previously healthy 26-year-old who collapsed and died within an hour of the hazing incident, during which he suffered multiple blows to his body so severe that he bled out into his soft tissue, according to the summary. There were no signs of drugs or alcohol in his body.

OK, someone getting beaten to death, that happens. But "hazing?" I'm struggling with that part.

For openers, Mr. Champion was the Drum Major, one of the leaders of the band. Since when do underclassmen jump the drum major, beating him to death? Leaders of a fraternity (which is essentially what this band is) do the hazing; they don't die from it.

The second thing that makes me scratch my head is that Robert Champion was 26 years of age when he died. He's 26 and still in school? I was five years out of uni at 26. I'll concede that non-traditional students do start later, and often take longer, but that leads to the next point. Non-traditional students usually don't play the college game the same way their 18- and 19-year old classmates do.

I hope the cops don't look at this as simply an institutional issue. It doesn't help that FL-Gov Ric Scott is putting his nose in the situation. That piece of filth is most likely looking for any way he can to suppress black folks and their influence in the state.