Wisconsin dad trips 9-year-old football player running for touchdown before police learn why he did it
What looked like an ordinary youth football run suddenly changed when an adult came off the sideline
A 9-year-old boy had the football in his hands and was running down the field when something happened that nobody watching a youth game should ever expect to see. An adult came onto the field, moved toward him and deliberately stuck out his leg.
The child went crashing to the ground. The person who tripped him wasn't another player, a coach or an official. Police say it was a 41-year-old father whose own child was playing for the opposing team.
The disturbing moment happened August 22 during a 10-U game between the Case Eagles and Milwaukee Colts at Case High School in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin . Video of the play shows the young Eagles player carrying the ball when the man enters the field and extends his leg into the boy's path. Somehow, the 9-year-old escaped without injury, got back up and was able to continue playing.
The father admitted to police that he was wrong
By the time Mount Pleasant police arrived , both the man and the young player had left the area. Another parent followed the man's vehicle and helped officers locate him.
Police say the father admitted that he had tripped the child and acknowledged that his actions were wrong. Bodycam footage from the encounter reportedly shows him trying to explain his reaction by expressing concern about bigger children playing against his own child.
Whatever frustration he felt, however, ended with an adult physically interfering with a 9-year-old in the middle of a football play.
Authorities considered whether the incident could qualify as physical abuse of a child under Wisconsin law, but because the boy suffered no bodily harm, police said the necessary elements for that charge were not met.
The Racine County District Attorney's Office was consulted, and the 41-year-old was ultimately cited for disorderly conduct and released.
Case Eagles coach Channing Schultz called it “the most cowardly act I've ever seen” and argued that the consequences could easily have been much worse, including a serious leg injury. The father was banned from attending games for the rest of the season, while Schultz has called for a lifetime ban.
The boy walked away physically unharmed, but the video left behind an image that is difficult to shake.
