julian white healed press conference sharing how he has taken a stand against hazing and says he did all he could to get rid of the practice within the highly acclaimed marching 100 band. white called on the university community to work together to restore the school's reputation. this comes after the death of 26-year-old robert champion. he was the band's drum major and died last month and police say hazing was involved. his funeral was held on wednesday. the former band director says hazing was a problem he couldn't control. now he says he asked for help from the administration for tougher punishment. four students are dismissed from florida a&m after the fallout from champion's death. another 30 students were kicked out of the band. >> one thing about this entire event, i have a zero tolerance for hazing. and the record documents that i have provided leadership proper leadership and guidance as well as bringing attention to the fact that we do have a zero tolerance for hazing in the band and university. >> reporter: the marching 100 is the face of florida a&m and high precision per

former band director, julian white, told cbs news, he suspended two dozen band members for hazing, just days before champion's death. white, who was fired last week, says he repeatedly asked administrators to take stronger action to stop hazing. >> did i make the recommendations? yes, i did. were they followed? for the most part, no. >> reporter: there have been dozens of students suspended from the band. what more did it have to take? one of your own students here asks why it took someone dying, essentially, to get this to happen. >> every allegation of hazing has been fully investigated and appropriate disciplinary actions have been taken. >> now, today, the university said dismissal procedures against julian white, have been placed on hold. he has been placed on administrative leave with pay. >>> stemming from a deadly shooting spree. it left 13 people dead, including the gunman. the university said the school violated the law by waiting more than two hours to notify the students about the first shots fired. today, a judge talked about a fine handed down against the university. >>> f

julian white, the band's director, is now on paid leave. he says band members told him right after the attack that a number of them had repeatedly punched champion in a hazing ritual. did he run a gauntlet on the bus? >> that's what i'm told. that the initiation was running the gauntlet from the front of the bus to the back of the bus. >> reporter: on monday, the school's board of trustees will vote whether to suspend school president. hundreds of students there have demonstrated for him to stay, but, bob, that vote comes as a hazing death has turned into a homicide investigation. >> bob: thanks, marc. the chicago bears cut wide receiver sam herd today, two days after his arrest on drug dealing charges. he appeared in federal court and was later released after posting $100,000 bond. herd is accused of selling cocaine and marijuana. he was arrested after he allegedly tried to buy supplies from an undercover agent. the securities and exchange commission filed civil fraud charges today against two former c.e.o.s and form other ex-officials of

the band director, julian white, dr. julian white has been fired, four students dismissed, and two mothers of present band members say it all could have been avoiavoi avoided. they complained to the university about their children facing harassment from some of those of the marching 100. >> my first thought was, i hope it was not hazing. >> really? >> yes. >> why? >> we were down in orlando when the innocecident occurred, and rumors among the students within the band was that it was hazing. >> and you? >> i was just like, just wow. i can't believe that they didn't listen. my husband and i have previously had a conversation with dr. white and the band directors. and in our conversation, i had said to them, please, you know, stop the hazing within your band, because we don't, you know, out of all the accolades and all the greatness that they had accomplished, it's only going to take one thing and someone's going to die and your world is going to come tumbling down. >> and it could have been any parent. could have been you

hear what julian white

former band director julian white, who was fired after major's death, says he repeatedly asked school officials to take stronger actions. >> did i make those recommendations? yes, i did. were they followed? for the most part, no. >> police say the three students used fists and a metal ruler to beat the victim. >>> several west coast port facilities were shut down overnight following anti-wall street demonstrations that stretched from southern california all the way to alaska. police in seattle set off flash grenades and made several arrests. the demonstrators blocked cargo trucks at several ports. the largest protest was in oakland, california. marine corps veteran scott olson led the march there last night. olson, if you remember, became the face of the demonstrations in october when he was struck in the head by a tear gas canister during a clash with police. >> i'm more than pleased with the turnout. it's great. it's great to see all of these people here and the energy here. >> there were protests in houston, los angeles and portland, oregon. >>> the house is expected to approve an

julian white acknowledges there was a pattern of hazing but says he reported it to proper authorities. >> in all cases where i suspect there's hazing involved i take immediate action. >> reporter: with their son laid to rest, champion's parents plan to sue the university. >> no one wants to be standing in our shoes. no one wants to hear on a phone call that your son collapsed and died. >> reporter: the school's president vows to eliminate hazing at the campus. a pledge that may have come too late for one student. thanh truong, nbc news, atlanta. >>> there is more ahead. when we come back, we'll tell you about the rocks that had them lined up today here at rock center. >>> we're back now with new developments about a story we first told you aboweeks ago. the new effort to identify victims of serial killer john wayne gacy. tonight there's answers for a family left wondering for decades what happened to their son and brother after he walked out the door one night and never returned. more now from nbc's kevin tibbles. >> reporter: after more than 30 long years, a break in the case involvi

julian white became head band director in 1998 but he was fired four days after champion was found alonend unresponsive in a band bus. when they were gig c.p.r., he was on the bus. >> yes. >> reporter: was he conscious? >> no. >> reporter: the cause of death is still under investigation, but police who interviewed band members believe hazing is to blame. so does white. he suspects champion was beaten in a hazing ritual. for years, he says he tried to crack down on hazing with workshops and a zero-tolerance policy but he could not break the band's secret abusive culure. >> the saxophones are gestapo. the char nits are clones. >> reporter: it's like gang names. >> yes. >> reporter: were they lining gangs to you to get under control? >> yes, they were like gangs. >> reporter: over the years, white estimates he threw out 100 band members for hazing and he showed us numerous letters he says he sent to administrators pleading for a tougher response. >> more students should have been terminated from school. >> reporter: can you push for that and in some cases not get it. >> yes, yes, yes. >> re

former band director julian white told cbs news he suspended two dozen band members for hazing just daysefore champion's death. white, who was fired last week, says he repeatedly asked administrators to take stronger action to stop hazing. >> did i make those recommendations? yes, i did. were they followed? for the most part, no. >> reporter: there have been dozens of students suspended from the band. what more did it have to take? one of your own students here asked why it took someone dying, essentially, to get this to happen. >> every allegation of hazing has been fully investigated and appropriate disciplinary actions have been taken. >> reporter: today we showed the champions what the university president said. is that good enough? >> no, it's not good enough. >> if he's saying we followed all the guidelines and what the statutes are, those guidelines and statutes need to be changed. because it doesn't work. >> pelley: and the champions say a criminal investigation won't with enough for them, either. they have put florida a&m on notice that they'll be filing a lawsuit. anna werner,

florida a&m band director julian white was fired following a suspected hazing death of robert champion. sherrie johnson has more on the developing story. >> reporter: well, charley, he held a press conference sharing how he always has taken a stand against hazing and says he did all he could to get rid of the practice within the marching 100 band. white called on the university community to work together to restore the school's reputation. this comes after the death of 26-year-old robert champion who was the band's drum major e died last month and police -- he died last month and police say hazing was involved. the former band director says hazing was a problem he couldn't control e says he asked for help for stuffer punishment. four stewed cents dismissed after the fallout from champion's death. another 30 kicked out of the band. >> i am deeply concerned that these things are happening to the university that our reputation is tarnished. my reputation is tarnished and we are going to have to the university is going to have to come together. we faced adversity before and i am sure we wi

be hospitalized for kidney failure, and just weeks before champion's death, the band's director julian whitehite says he tried for years to end the practice, but says no one listened. the university fired white following champion's death and suspended band performances indefinitely. the school's president, james emmons, spoke at champion's funeral and vowed his death would not be in vain. he denied requests to be interviewed saying the school must be held accountable. >> whatever it takes to clean house, from the top to the bottom, clean house. >> reporter: they say justice will come. healing for them will come much longer. >> the thing is that i'm just going to miss his smile, his big hugs. there's nothing in the world that can prepare you for that. nothing. gosh. i'm crying. nothing can prepare you for that. nothing. >> jason, it is so heartbreaking to listen to his parents and heartbreaking to listen to that 911 call. you pointed out in your piece this type of hazing has been going on for years. the band director tried to warn the school numerous times. that band director was fired. i mea

julian white acknowledges there was a pattern of hazing but says he reported it to proper authoritiesl cases where i suspect there's hazing involved i take immediate action. >> reporter: with their son laid to rest, champion's parents plan to sue the university. >> no one wants to be standing in our shoes. no one wants to hear on a phone call that your son collapsed and died. >> reporter: the school's president vows to eliminate hazing at the campus. a pledge that may have come too late for one student. thanh truon, abc news, atlanta. >>> when we come back we'll tell you about the rocks that have been lined up today here at rock center. you wouldn't want your doctor doing your job. so why are you doing his? only your doctor can determine if your persistent heartburn is actually something more serious... like acid reflux disease. over time, stomach acid can damage the lining of your esophagus. for many, prescription nexium not only provides 24-hour heartburn relief, but can also help heal acid related erosions in the lining of your esophagus. talk to your doctor about the risk for oste

julian white the band director was fired after champion's death. white says for years he tried without success to stamp out the band's persistent hazing culture with workshops and anti hazing messages. >> the drum majors are a step above as far as the music is concerned. so i talked with them even more about hazing than i do to the band. >> reporter: just ten days before champion died, white notified the school he was suspending 26 band members for separate hazing incidents. cbs news has learned that the following day a school's dean and university police chief met with the entire band to admonish them about hazing. but the anti hazing never got through to some of the students heading to the biggest performance of the year. champion died just two days after that warning. >> as state investigators pursue possible charges, all band activities are on hold. >>> brutemire committed suicide, his family says he did so after severe bullying. this comes after police failed to find enough evidence to file charges. >>> first it was aptitudes and now it's rice.

julian white, to try to eliminate hazing. ismissed students from the band for hazing-related incidents prior to robert champion's death. a week later, the university president fired dr. white and expelled four students. we reached out to several current and former band members but no one really wanted to talk about the hazing incidents or the students who were expelled. we found this to be a tight-knit group. and many students are telling me they're shocked this even happened. >> we hear about hazing. . but when we hear the band, we're like, wait, hazing in the band? what's going on? >> reporter: investigators have not yet released details into what caused robert champion's death. but the tragedy has left a cloud of uncertainty on this campus about its beloved band and the culture within its ranks. george howell, cnn, tallahassee, florida. >> millions of long-term unemployed americans could see their federal benefits dry up next year. it all depends on whether congress decides to extend them into january and beyond. details no

reporter: richardson says he's worked closely over the years with the band's former director, julian whitedismiss hazing. he dismissed students prior to champion's death for hazing. dr. white was fired and expelled four students. we reached out to several current and former band members but no one wanted to talk about the hazing incidents or the students who were expelled. we found this to be a very tight knit group and many students on the campus say they are shocked this even happened. >> we hear about hazing sororities but the band we are like, wait, we have hazing in the band, what's going on? investigators have not released details to what caused robert champion's death but it has left a cloud of uncertainty on the campus about its beloved band and the culture within its ranks. george howell, cnn, tallahassee, in florida. >> on sunday you will hear from the mothers of two of the mothers of the marching 100. i will have them saturday on cnn. >>> a development in the serial killings investigations on long island. police say bodies along the beaches are the work of one serial killer. we

julian white suspended 26 band members for their suspected involvement in that beating and one other. and he alerted administrators about those hazing incidents before the band left for its biggest performance of the year, the florida classic in orlando. white says school administrators failed to discipline students any further. >> did i make the recommendation? yes, i did. were they followed? for the most part, no. >> reporter: on november 19th, hours after that performance, drum major, robert champion, was found unresponsive on a band bus. he later died. and investigators believe hazing was involved. his death and now the arrests have exposed a hazing culture that has haunted florida a&m for over a decade. the school has suspended performances by the marching 100 indefinitely. anna werner, cbs news, atlanta. >>> police continue to investigate the hazing incidents. meanwhile, the state's university system has called for a special investigation into actions taken by the university. >>> a new federal report shows texting is to blame for a deadly highway pileup in missouri. mary is in t

and just weeks before champion's death, the band's director julian white had to suspend 26 of the bandor hazing. white says he tried for years to end the practice, but says no one listened. the university fired white following champion's death and suspended band performances indefinitely. the school's president james ammons spoke at champion's funeral and vowed his death would not be in vain. ammons declined repeated requests to be interviewed. the parents say the school must be held accountable. >> whatever it takes to cleanup. from the top to the bottom, clean house. >> reporter: they say healing for them will take much longer. >> the thing is that i'm just going to miss his smile, his big hugs. there's nothing in the world that can prepare you for that. nothing. gosh, i'm crying. nothing can prepare you for that, nothing. >> amazing the parents are able to talk at this point. jason, you pointed out in your piece that the band director said he warned the school numerous times about the hazing. right after his death, it was that band director who was fired. do people feel that he's be

julian white suspended 26 band members for their suspected involvement in that beating and one other. and he talked about this before they left for the biggest of the year. white says they failed to discipline students any further. >> did i make those recommendations? yes, i did. were they followed? for the most part, no. >> reporter: on november 19th, hours after that performance, drum major robert champion was found unresponsive on a band bus. he later died. and investigators believe hazing was involved. >> reporter: his death, and now the arrests have exposed a hazing culture that has haunted florida a&m for over a decade. the school has suspended performances by the march marching 100 for over a decade. anna werner, cbs news. >> the university's system has called for a special investigation into actions taken by the university. >> if you're waiting for someone to get home from work, let's check e-mails. hi, christy. >> hi, mary. hi, everyone. >> we have an accident out there that just occurred. southbound on the jfx at pleasant street. as you can see, it is taking away one. at thi

weeks before robert champion's death, band member julian white suspended 26 members for alleged hazing. sounds more like common knowledge than something shrouded in secrecy. he might have been tipped off by reporting on other incidents involving marching bands in other historically black colleges like this. last november frank deford of "real sports" profiled a freshman band member. he was beaten by upper classmen. then when he was an upper classmen, he did the same to others. >> we asked him to demonstrate a typical night of hazing for the freshmen who the upper classmen call crabs. let's imagine that we're having a crab here. how would it work? if it's your turn to haze him. >> he would stand around in the middle where this is. and people all get around him in a circle. you tell him to bend over in a crouch position. >> just like that? >> and you're hitting him? >> yes, sir. >> right in there? >> yes, sir. so they just keep hitting fast. >> you're not easing up. that's hard. >> it's a competition thing. so the person before me hit him. when the next person comes and hit him harder. >

julian white is on administrative leave with pay while investigators look into the case.h of the band's drum major last month. four students who had been expelled in connection with the incident have also been allowed back to class. >> for now at least. >> for now they're still investigating. >>> in other news this morning -- syria's embattled leader has sat down for his first major tv interview since the start of the uprising that left thousand of civilians dead. in an exclusive interview with abc's barbara walters he denied ordering the deadly crackdown. abc's alex marquardt has more. >> reporter: for the leader of a country in so much turmoil, syria's president bashir al-assad appears calm, soft-spoken and confident, confident he is doing the right thing for syria where the u.n. says more than 4,000 people have died in the past nine months. in an exclusive interview with abc's barbara walters he distanced himself from the bloodshed. >> do you think that your forces, cracked down too hard? >> they're not my forces. they are military forces that belong to the government.