Another allegation has surfaced of a high school football player striking an official.
The recent alleged incident occurred last Friday during a Kansas state high school playoff game between Wichita Heights High School and Goddard High. During a scuffle between players from both teams, an official claims a Goddard football player punched him in the stomach, Wichita TV station KAKE reported.
Related: Texas HS Football Players Suspended After Decking Ref
The Kansas State High School Activities Association, Goddard Schools and the Goddard Police Department are all investigating the case. The official, Ryan Storck, filed a report with Goddard Police on Monday, The Wichita Eagle reported. Storck declined to name the Goddard player in question. The incident occurred after the final play of the game.
Goddard Schools released this statement to the TV station:
“We are aware of an incident involving a student on Friday, November 6th, that occurred immediately following a football game. In watching a replay of the game, there were players shoving each other, and sports officials attempting to break up the situation. It appears contact between a player and an official occurred. That evening, a statement was made by an official, saying he was hit by a player, reported no injuries, and initially did not pursue charges. Goddard Public Schools sets a high standard of sportsmanship for our student athletes, and this type of behavior does not meet our expectations. We will continue to investigate this incident.”
Earlier this year, two high school football players in Texas were suspended after they intentionally knocked down an official. The players alleged the official directed racial slurs at them and claimed one of their assistant coaches ordered them to knock down the official. The coach later resigned.
“This type of incident or these type of things, like what happened in Texas, there’s just no room for that in the game,” Matt Mount, president of the Greater Wichita Officials Association, told KAKE.
Wichita Heights won the game 41-27.
