The father of a Michigan varsity football player has begged a school board not to “take [his] son’s education away” after his son was filmed bellyflopping onto a rival’s back during a game earlier this month.
His son, a member of Kalamazoo Central’s team, reportedly shattered the other player’s spine during the incident. Since then, the teen has been subjected to online racist abuse and bullying.
The viral footage, showing the Lakeshore football player being knocked to the ground and jumped upon, has been viewed by over six million people worldwide.
It is unknown if the Lakeshore teammate will walk again, the victim’s mother has said, after he was left with broken vertebrae in his lower back.
The unnamed student at the heart of the controversy received “disciplinary consequences,” according to the Kalamazoo superintendent, but the boy’s father is now begging for clemency.
“I accept the punishment. My son is wrong. We sent out letters and everything.
“But, please, don’t take my son’s education,” the boy’s father, a “single dad”, told the school board.
He added that he is struggling to cope with the racist abuse that his son has received on social media.
Meanwhile, a different Kalamazoo Central player took to social media to call for an end to the “violent, racist threats” that many “students, staff and coaches” at his school are now receiving.
“It was an illegal move, it had no place, I’m not going to try to defend that.
“That was a horrible decision,” he said in the TikTok video.
However, Rhys says that the player’s actions should not “define” him or the school.
He added that the music accompanying a pregame video, uploaded by the coaches, does not mean that the team was ever taught to jump on their rivals.
According to The Daily Mail, the unnamed Lakeshore player’s mother says her son may never play football again, though she hopes he will make a full recovery.
However, she added that she has been left “upset” and “shaken up” since the incident.
She hopes that the game will raise awareness about the need for safety measures during varsity games.
“These boys are high school boys. They’re 15 years old. The game means a lot to them. It’s their whole life right now.
“They’re there from before I get up to go to work in the morning till after dinner, putting in the work and for somebody to try to take that from somebody doing so much is awful for me to see,” she said.
Superintendent Slade at Kalamazoo Central said that he spoke with the Lakeshore player to offer support.
However, the Kalamazoo player’s father says that the school has “not reached out to my family.”
“Thank you for reaching out to Lakeshore.
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,” he said.
Kalamazoo Public Schools has been approached by The Independent for comment.
