There is outrage this week after footage showed a Black football player at a Moline high school being forced to sit down in a locker that had banana peels after a teammate threatens to break his knees if he doesn’t comply.
It was so bad that Moline Police Chief Darren Gault called the incident at Moline High School a “disturbing racist scene.”
The 11-second video was reportedly shot last Thursday and eventually made its way to the Moline Police Dept. As soon as the team returned back from a game on Friday, police were right there waiting at Moline High School to interview everyone who had a role in the disturbing incident.
“On the evening of April 9, 2021 the Moline Police Department became aware of a shocking viral video circulating on social media,” Moline Police Chief Darren Gault said in a statement.
“The video depicted a disturbing racist scene involving a Moline High School football player in a locker room.”
Chief Gault says detectives have identified “all athletes who were involved in the incident and the circumstances surrounding the video” — and confirmed they are “fellow high school football teammates.”
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Cops note the players involved “are also individuals of both different and similar races to the victim.”
“The students directly involved in the video are all friends.”
“Regardless of these facts, we all agree that this is a disgusting way to treat a fellow teammate, a fellow human being and most certainly a friend,” Gault said.
The Moline-Cole Valley School District has vowed to take “decisive action” following an internal investigation.