SAN ANTONIO, Sept. 7 (UPI) -- The most vicious hits in a Friday night football game in San Antonio came from players leveling a referee.
Two defensive backs from John Jay High School pounced on a referee during the team's 15-9 loss to Marble Falls. On the play, the referee is watching play from behind the defense. A player first hits him from behind, forcing his head to snap back. Another player them comes in to lower his helmet and hit the referee while he was on the ground.
Both players were first ejected from the game and then suspended indefinitely from the school and the team. The Northside Independent School District (NISD) has the event under investigation.
"The referee was "very upset" and "wanting to press charges," Austin Football Officials Association secretary Wayne Elliott said," according to ESPN.
Related
"The first thing we want is that those two kids never play football again," Elliot told ESPN.
The University Interscholastic League, the governing body for primary and high school sports, the school district, and officials are working together on the investigation.
"It is what it is when you see it on the video," NISD Athletic Director Stan Laing told KENS 5 Sports' David Flores Sunday. "Obviously, that's very disturbing and inexcusable. That type of behavior certainly would never be condoned."
"The player wearing the No. 12 jersey was ejected by the official after the play, but No. 81 remained in the game and another Jay player was tossed instead," Laing told KENS 5 Sports.
"After he (the official) got knocked down and he got back up, he ejected one of the wrong kids," Laing said. "No. 12 and No. 81 are the ones involved in the video, but No. 81 did not get ejected. No. 12 and No. 7, who came over after the play, got ejected."
After the game, John Jay coach Gary Gutierrez apologized to Marble Falls coach Matt Green.
"I've coached 14 years and I've never seen anything like it," Green told the San Antonio Express-News.
