A high school football game in Michigan took a frightening turn when a student knocked down his opponent and severely injured him.
“Strong and decisive action” will be taken against the student in question, the Michigan High School Athletics Association (MHSAA) said after disturbing footage of the incident went viral.
The victim’s mother said she was “shaken up” and doesn’t know if her son will ever play the game again.
A student knocked down his opponent during a high school football game in Michigan
The incident took place on September 18 during a junior varsity football game, which saw the Kalamazoo Central High School play against Lakeshore High School.
A viral video from the game captured a Kalamazoo Central High School football player knocking down an opponent, identified as Colton.
The player on top then stood up as Colton continued lying on the ground.
After a brief pause, the standing player leaped into the air and dropped hard onto Colton.
The incident left spectators and online viewers stunned.
The Michigan High School Athletics Association (MHSAA) said they have been in touch with both schools since the game.
The body slam took place during a game between Kalamazoo Central High School and Lakeshore High School
“Kalamazoo Central has taken this matter very seriously and they have taken strong and decisive action,” the MHSAA told Fox News Digital.
“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,” they continued.
The MHSAA added that the schools are handling the matter internally and additional details would later be released.
Colton’s mother Courtney Mims watched in horror as her son was seriously injured a short distance away from her.
Courtney Mims was in the crowd as she watched the incident unfold
“At first was like, is that my son? And as soon as it clicked that it was, I couldn’t be stopped,” she told WSBT.
“I had to go down there,” the mother continued. “It was I’ve never felt anything like it. I’ve never been as upset or shaken up as I was over something for my son.”
Upon reaching the hospital, Colton was found to have suffered two broken vertebrae in his lower spine. He was discharged and is currently on the road to recovery.
The mother said she isn’t sure if her son will ever play again.
“He’s out at least for this season,” she told the outlet. “We don’t know if he’s going to be able to play again. He should and will make a full recovery.”
The mother said she isn’t sure if her son will ever play the game again
Courtney also spoke about how much football means to the teenagers and the dedication they put into the game.
“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,” she said.
“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,” added the mother.
The Kalamazoo Central High School acknowledged the incident and said their student made a “poor choice.”
They also said the incident doesn’t represent their football program, coaching team or school values.
“An incident that occurred during the recent JV football game does not represent our football program, our coaching staff, or the values of our school community,” the school wrote on Facebook.
The MHSAA said “strong and decisive action” would be taken against the Kalamazoo Central High School player
“This was the action of an individual student who made a poor choice, acting on a social media video not connected to our team or coaches,” they added.
Meanwhile, Lakeshore Public Schools Superintendent Greg Eding called the Kalamazoo Central player’s behavior “totally unacceptable” and said it has “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 said.
Image credits: WSBT-TV
When the two high school teams gathered together for a game on September 19, they said a prayer for Colton before kickoff.
Netizens left harsh comments online after watching the viral clip.
“Who is teaching them this?” one asked, while another said, “charges need to be filed.”
“He is now being recruited by WWE,” another quipped.
One wrote, “That’s so sad! I doubt he did it maliciously, he’s the big guy on the team he was just thinking he was playing around and now he has to be punished and live with the fact that he hurt that other boy.”
“I would hope criminal charges are filed as well,” one commenter harshly said
