A pair of North Carolina high school wrestlers were resetting in the middle of the mat on Saturday when one of their fathers came flying out of the stands.
Barry Lee Jones was arrested and charged with simple assault for tackling his son’s opponent during a match, according to WGHP, a Fox-affiliated television station that also posted the video.
The video shows Jones’ son being driven to the ground while competing for Hickory Ridge High School in Harrisburg, N.C. The North Carolina High School Athletic Association said that the referee called the move illegal, but Jones already reacted. He immediately rushed from the stands to tackle the 17-year-old Southeast Guilford High School wrestler to the ground, leading to his arrest by the Kannapolis Police Department.
DAD TACKLES STUDENT-ATHLETE: Choas broke out during a high school wrestling match in #Kannapolis Saturday after a father tackled his son's opponent after a big hit. https://t.co/c9XOlWn5GW pic.twitter.com/3sgGo5Nqvn
— FOX 46 Charlotte (@FOX46News) January 20, 2020
The incident happened during a tournament at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis. Jones was reportedly processed at Cabarrus County Jail and received a $1,000 secured bond.
"We have expectations for student decorum and sportsmanship during athletic and extra-curricular events, and our expectations for spectators are no different,” a spokesman for Cabarrus County Schools said in a statement, according to WCNC. “The actions displayed by a spectator at the wrestling match on Jan. 18, 2020, fall far below our expectations. We do not condone his actions."
