A high school football player in Tennessee has been suspended indefinitely after a collision with a referee during last Friday’s game. The player was running in the direction of the ball-carrier and hit the official.
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According to a statement from the Metro Schools’ Athletic Steering Committee Wednesday afternoon, Glencliff Principal Clint Wilson has overturned said penalties on the senior standout.
Malcolm Easley, who was lined up at linebacker, took a running begin & hit umpire Kyle Gill on a play near the goal line. “I asked him how long he’d been playing football and he had to realize that the referees are part of the field”. “I’m just wondering if you’re going to wait until they break somebody’s neck or break somebody’s back before you do something ab out, because by then obviously it’s going to be too late”.
However, Gill told Channel 4 he is certain the player hit him on objective. They register with TSSAA and are required to undergo some training in the TSSAA rules of the game, but they work as independent contractors, hired by the schools through arrangements with local officials associations.
But the refs did, and so did the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association, which reviewed the video and determined that “there was no intent to target the official in a malicious manner”.
Gill said he thinks Easley should be punished.
This is a unusual and freaky trend we seem to have on our hands here.
“No information we received before or after the play would give us any indication that this was malicious intent.”
“We love football, but safety is always priority one”, Sanders said.
Gillespie with TSSAA said it’s a contact sport and these type incidents happen all the time accidentally. If you did plow him intentionally, you should be ejected.
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Easley has been suspended from Glencliff’s home game Friday against Hunters Lane.
