In 1990, Jon Hamm participated in a violent hazing at the University of Texas. In fact, it was so violent that the incident led to criminal charges and to the fraternity chapter permanently disbanding. The victim, Mark Allen Sanders, said he was “severely beaten, dragged by a hammer, and had his pants lit on fire.” The pledge also said that Hamm participated “till the very end.”
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Sanders said, “Hamm went on to set his jeans on fire, shove his face in dirt, and strike him with a paddle. […] Sanders said he needed medical care and withdrew from the school. Court records show the lawsuit was dismissed in 1993.”
When asked about the incident during a 2018 interview with Esquire, the interviewer “noted that Hamm’s tone, after the topic was brought up, became ‘tinged with anger,’ and he said, ‘I hope I didn’t sign up for a hit piece.’ […] He downplayed it as ‘sensationalized’ and called someone being led around ‘with the claw of a hammer beneath his genitals’ a ‘bummer.'”
