Two football coaches from the Steel City Youth Football League in Pittsburgh have been suspended indefinitely following an on-field fight in the fourth quarter.
According to 6ABC, a video taken of the fight shows two men facing off in the middle of the field of play, one from Carlynton and the other from Keystone Oaks. They are surrounded by third- and fourth-grade youth football players as they push each other. Eventually, referees and other coaching staff rush to the area.
One coach can be seen nearly coming to blows with a female staff member, at which time the other man runs across the field and tackles him to the ground. Several coaching staff and officials finally pull the men apart.
The Carlynton coach, Dequay Canton, alleges that he began the altercation after several of his players told him the opposing team was referring to them with racial slurs. He said he spoke with the referee first before losing his temper.
“As a Black man, I was being mobbed by all their football and cheerleading staff, trying to attack me. All I could think about was fight or flight,” Canton said. “I'm not apologetic for standing up for my kids who saw the injustice and were the victims of racial slurs."
According to WTAE, the parent who recorded the video of the incident has also allegedly been banned from Steel City Youth Football League games. As a result, he said he will be removing his son from the league.
In a statement, Steel City Youth Football said there will be a “thorough internal investigation,” and that unsportsmanlike behavior “will not be tolerated.” That investigation will include reviewing video of the incident and witness statements. The league said that along with the two indefinite suspensions, several other coaches, staff, and spectators have been temporarily suspended from the league.
