PLATTE CITY, Mo., Nov. 20 (UPI) -- A Missouri high school football player was charged with misdemeanor assault after an alleged attack on an opponent during a game, prosecutors said.
The unusual move came Tuesday, after an Oct. 18 game in which Colin Byrd, 17, of Platte County High School in Platte City, Mo., allegedly twisted the helmet off the head of an unidentified player on the opposing Winnetonka High School team as the two tumbled out of bounds, then struck the opponent in the head with the helmet, court records said.
The alleged victim, 17, has concussion symptoms, including memory loss and nausea, that have kept him from returning to school since the incident, Platte County prosecutors said.
An official ejected Byrd from the game and penalized his team for his conduct, the Kansas City Star reported Wednesday.
"It is our allegation that it went beyond the game of football and became an assault," said prosecutor Eric Zahnd, adding he was aware of only one similar case, in Pennsylvania high school sports.
Byrd is scheduled to appear in court Jan. 7.
