A teen football player has been left with a broken spine after an opponent jumped on him during a high school game in Michigan.
Footage from last week’s game between Kalamazoo Central High School and Lakeshore High School showed a group of Kalamazoo players knocking one of their rivals to the ground, before one jumped on top of him.
The teen was left with broken vertebrae in his lower spine after the horrific incident, according to his family.
His mother, Courtney Mims, also said that her son may never walk again.
"And I at first was like, is that my son? And as soon as it clicked that it was, I couldn't be stopped. I had to go down there. I've never felt anything like it.
“I've never been as upset or shaken up as I was over something for my son," she said.
Greg Eding, superintendent of Lakeshore’s Public Schools, branded the Kalamazoo player’s behaviour as having “no place in student athletics”.
“This incident was an intentional, unprovoked, and flagrant violation of the rules and appropriate sports conduct and resulted in an injury to one of our Lakeshore student athletes,” he added.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Kalamazoo Public Schools said that the incident does not represent their values.
“This type of behavior is unacceptable and does not reflect the values of sportsmanship, respect, and integrity that Kalamazoo Public Schools expects from student-athletes, coaches, and the entire school community,” the district said in a statement.
The Kalamazoo superintendent has handed out “disciplinary consequences” to the athlete. However, neither school district has confirmed what these consequences will involve.
Lakeshore’s Superintendent says that the two teams will observe a moment of silence for the injured player before their next game.
Meanwhile, Mims hopes that her son’s injury will raise awareness about the need for varsity players to be safe during 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.
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