A Thanksgiving charity youth football tournament in Shasta Lake, Calif., was meant to bring some healthy competition to the holiday weekend; instead, one game broke out in a sideline brawl between parents, coaches and a few youths.
According to KRCR TV, police were called to Central Valley High School just after noon on Saturday, when a parent from the Reno, Nev., team reportedly charged the opposing coach. The altercation escalated from there, with video taken of the brawl showing dozens of adults involved and several punches being thrown as referees and other adults attempted to herd the youth athletes away from the sideline.
Witnesses said the altercation began after a player from the Reno team was tackled near the Central Valley sideline. “A Central Valley coach then picked up the Reno player and pushed him back toward the field. Officials said the player’s father, who was also an assistant coach for the Reno team, viewed the shove as assault and ran across the field to confront the Central Valley coach.”
The Reno parent attempted to hit the Central Valley coach, but he reportedly missed, instead striking a juvenile working on the sidelines. That child’s parents are pressing charges for assault and child endangerment, though the initial hit was not captured in video footage of the rest of the brawl.
In the video, one man is dragged to the ground in a crowd. He attempts to stand up and separate himself, but is immediately punched in the head. KRCR TV reported that this man was the parent who initially charged the coach. He was unconscious but assessed by first responders and deemed unharmed.
The Shasta County District Attorney’s Office is reviewing the video and police reports and is considering criminal charges; however, many of the involved parents left before the police arrived at the scene, so it has been difficult to identify all of the people involved.
The Reno team did not compete in any additional tournament games, but the remainder of the tournament proceeded as scheduled.
