A high school football player at Kalamazoo Central in Michigan has been punished accordingly for his actions during a junior varsity game last week. The disturbing incident left an opponent with his spine fractured in two different places.
It also sparked an intensely angry conversation on social media that unfortunately involves race.
Meanwhile, the father of the high school football player who jumped on top of a downed defensive lineman is pleading for compassion and understanding for his 15-year-old son. He does not want the school district to take away his education.
A high school football player in Michigan has been punished.
This unfortunate incident took place during a junior varsity football game between Kalamazoo Central and Lakeshore. It was captured on video and has since been viewed as many as 10 million times worldwide.
The aforementioned player, who weighs no less than 300 pounds, pancake blocked his opponent into the dirt. Instead of “putting his belly on him” and laying on top of the defensive lineman, the offensive lineman instead got back to his feet and belly flopped on top of him— breaking his spine in two places.
Kalamazoo Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Darrin Slade cannot disclose its course of action due to student privacy laws. However, he said during a board meeting earlier this week that the student’s punishment is aligned with the district’s discipline policies, which are some of the strongest in the state.
The Michigan High School Athletic Association also issued the following statement:
“Kalamazoo Central has taken this matter very seriously and they have taken strong and decisive action. Due to student privacy laws, we cannot disclose the specific accountability actions, but they have exceeded what MHSAA regulations would otherwise require in cases of dangerous and unsportsmanlike behavior.”
The Maroon Giants returned to the field on Thursday night. The player involved in the incident did not participate. None of the coaches received reprimand, even though a video posted to TikTok during pregame appeared to encourage violence. They were allowed to remain in their roles.
A call for compassion.
As Kalamazoo Central’s junior varsity football team returned to the field, the 15-year-old player’s father spoke in front of the school board during its regularly scheduled meeting. He first apologized to the injured player and his family. He also acknowledged that his son’s choice was wrong and deserves to be punished accordingly. That is nonnegotiable.
However, discourse surrounding this viral incident turned toxic over the last week.
With that in mind, the father questioned why Superintendent Dr. Slade has not yet reached out to him or his son in wake of what happened. He and his son have also experienced pain beyond the course of reasonable punishment because of the racist comments and threats they have received.
“Thank you for reaching out to Lakeshore,” he said. “Thank you for reaching out to (the injured player), but you have not reached out to my family. I’m not upset Dr. Slade, I’m hurt. When I tell you all that me and my son are not doing well, we’re not.”
The player’s dad, a single parent, then turned his attention to the board as a whole.
His father hopes Kalamazoo Central will spare his son’s education.
He hopes they will show some sympathy toward his young son and allow him to continue to learn and grow from his mistake. He does not want him to lose his chance at an education because of what happened and hopes they will not expel him or suspend him from classes for an extended period of time.
“I accept the punishment. My son is wrong. We sent out letters and everything,” the father said. “But, please, don’t take my son’s education.”
Many members of the community joined the young man’s dad in his plea— which you can watch (in part) here. They called for restitution for the 15-year-old. They want him to receive council and mentorship instead of retaliation. To remove him from the school could destroy his future.
A varsity football player at Kalamazoo Central also spoke out in defense of the junior varsity player.
“I am proud to be a student of KC. I ask tonight for you to see us for who we are, not who we’ve been painted to be,” the student said. “That’s why I’m speaking. Not to minimize the pain of the student who was hurt, but to make sure we don’t ignore the other young man who’s also hurt.”
Around that same time, one of the 15-year-old student’s junior varsity teammates posted a lengthy video on TikTok. He wanted to clear his coaches from wrongdoing, express his disappointment with the rhetoric used in wake of the incident, and bring light to a powerful moment in which he prayed alongside his teammates on the sideline while their opponent was transferred to the hospital.
The board has yet to announce its ruling. It is my hope that the student will be allowed to stay in school.