WASHINGTON — Two San Antonio high school football players appear to have deliberately tackled a referee at a game on Friday night.
The players, who attend John Jay High School in San Antonio, Texas, have been suspended, Northside Independent School District officials say.
The video showing the tackle has gone viral, gaining the attention of outlets such as Deadspin, Huffington Post and Fox News. The title of the video is “San Antonio Texas high school football players target ref because of a bad call,” leading some to believe that the tackle was retaliatory. John Jay lost to Marble Falls High School 15-9.
The first player to tackle the referee came from behind, at a distance of seven yards, according to the San Antonio Express-News. A second player dove on top of the referee after the official was on the ground from the first hit. The official was not wearing any padding.
Both players were ejected from the game, and the district is investigating the sequence of events leading up to the tackle and collecting statements.
Marble Falls High School coach Matt Green told the Express-News that he doesn’t think John Jay coach Gary Gutierrez was behind the event. He says Gutierrez apologized after the game, and said he was disappointed in the conduct of his players.
Green says he’s been coaching for 14 years and he’s never seen anything like it.
