A Georgia school district is investigating after video recently surfaced showing a high school football coach raining punches down on a student. The incident at Charles Drew High School in Riverdale is believed to have been sparked by an ill-advised comment to the teen that led to the situation escalating, then escalating some more, according to WSB-TV.
The coach, who was not identified by the local station because he is currently not facing any charges, was supervising a class and reportedly said something to the student about a stocking cap he was wearing.
“He had his hat on and his stocking and he said the teacher said, ‘Quit cutting up your momma’s stockings and wearing them on your head,'” said Yaquanda Lucas, guardian for the boy who is not being named due to his age. “He said he was picking on him, trying to make the class laugh, and that made him upset.”
It turns out that the boy’s mother had recently passed away, but Lucas said the coach wasn’t aware of this at the time.
As seen in video of the incident, the teen picked up a chair and threw it at the coach, who then shoved him to the floor and repeatedly punched him.
“That didn’t look like restraining him to me, it looked like you beat my child,” Lucas said.
“”I don’t excuse him throwing the chair, I don’t,” she added, but said, “there’s a way to handle these kind of kids, and that’s not the way that you do it.”
The student received medical treatment, and Lucas showed records indicating he suffered a concussion. She said the teen already had mental health issues, which the school knew about.
It is currently unknown whether the coach or the student are facing any disciplinary measures.
A spokesperson for Clayton County Schools said, “Since this matter remains under investigation, the district can not comment further.”
[Image via WSB screengrab]
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