The violent collision between two youth football players that has prompted outrage on social media last week actually occured way back in September. The team’s head coach had already been fired from his position, a lawyer for the youth football program told USA TODAY Sports.
The attorney, Christopher Duggan, told USA TODAY Sports in a written statement that the Wesley Chapel Weddington Athletic Association first learned about the collision in September and started an investigation.
“This drill occurred back in September 2020 on a team with a first year coach in the program,” Duggan wrote in the statement. “This was addressed immediately with the coach when it happened as this was deemed not an acceptable drill for this age group or the experience level of these players. Subsequent to the coach being removed from his position, there were no other incidents or issues with this team during the remainder of the season.”
Duggan added that “the safety of the players is the primary focus and we believe that the immediate and swift actions of removing the coach from his position demonstrates WCWAA’s commitment to that safety.”
“Attention all parents! If your kid is doing this drill. Take your child off the field and don’t go back to those stupid coaches,” former NFL wide receiver Torrey Smith wrote in one tweet. “Coaches like this aren’t safe and ruin the image of football.”
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral Football stories via Google! Follow Us
Duggan, the WCWAA’s attorney, indicated that the coaches in its youth football program are required to be certified through USA Football.
