A Central Texas Football Team is under fire after one player targeted another player from a different team on the football field.
After a freshman A-team football game on Sept.13 between University High School and Burleson High School, videos of the attacks went viral.
University High School player #76 is seen choking a player from Burleson High School and repeatedly slamming him into the ground.
Burleson ISD Spokesperson Mikala Hill released this statement following the game:
"We are shocked that this incident happened to one of our players. As it unfolded, everyone observing was momentarily stunned. Our coaches quickly ran onto the field to intervene on behalf of our player. The BHS athletic coordinator and the BISD athletic director both protested the incident with Waco ISD officials. Waco ISD assured our administrators that it would address this matter appropriately."
Jennifer Gower's Son, Jagger was the target of the attacks and will have to sit out at least three games due to a concussion.
Gower said she is outraged that her son is sitting out longer than the player who did this to him.
"[My son] looked at me and said man, I am going to miss this week's game, I missed last weeks game and I will probably miss next weeks game and he said 'it's not fair that this kid is out there playing and I can play...,'" Gower said. "I wanted to give the school an opportunity to handle everything... but after a week from the time it happened he was back on the field... and it's not acceptable."
According to the Waco ISD Athletic Director, Johnny Tusa, the player involved in the incident, sat out the remainder of the game he was ejected from on the 13th and the first half of the next game, which is in line with UIL rules.
"We don't condone any irresponsible or bad behavior, obviously we saw the video of that. Sportsmanship and fair play are high on our list and we hold that up in high esteem and hold that up to a high standard...," Tusa said. "We took swift action according to the UIL rules and our own in-house punishment. We are satisfied with the situation ended."
Tusa added he does not see any further punishment happening for the player.
"The young man has been punished properly and has moved on from there," Tusa said.
Tusa said he has also spoken with the Burleson ISD Athletic Director about the situation.
Central Texas News Now spoke to The University Interscholastic League who said the district did, in fact, comply with the rules related to player injections. The UIL Spokesperson Kate Hector sent this excerpt from the UIL Constitution and Contest Rules:
(5) Player Ejection. Any player ejected from a
contest is subject to an automatic penalty.
The automatic penalty for such an ejection
is as follows:
(A) Football. Ejected player misses the
rest of the game in which they were
ejected plus the first half of the following
game.
(B) Other Team Sports. Ejected player
misses the rest of the game in which
they were ejected plus all of the following
game. Soccer Exception. This
Section does not alter the current
point penalty structure for soccer player
ejections, as required by National
Federation of State High School Associations
soccer playing rules, that is
outlined in the soccer coaches' manual.
- section 1208
On Sept. 28, the UIL released this statement:
The UIL is investigating the incident involving Waco University students during a football game against Burleson on September 13… The UIL State Executive Committee also has the authority to impose additional penalties. A State Executive Committee meeting for this case is not scheduled at this time, but may still occur in the future as the UIL continues to gather information.
Hector said there is a State Executive Committee that can step in to address the situation if needed. As of Wednesday, there was nothing on the committee's schedule about the incident, though Hector said the UIL is aware of what happened.
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