Addison Hunnicutt, 16, is speaking out after being charged for tackling a middle school football player she says was abusing her younger brother during a game in Winchester, Tenn.
Hunnicutt told WTVF on Thursday that she ran onto the field at Franklin County High School during Tuesday night’s game between South Middle School and Cornersville Middle School after watching a player allegedly grab her brother’s face mask, spin him around, and strike him in the ribs. “That’s when I started to be like, no, I’m done watching this,” she said.
“I wasn’t going after this kid just to go after him,” Hunnicutt added. “That wasn’t my intention at all. Seeing what they were doing to him and no one stopping it, that kind of made me the last choice. Somebody has to stop this.”
The teen broke through onto the field and charged at the 13-year-old South Middle School player, throwing him to the ground twice before field officials and coaches intervened to restrain her, according to authorities.
Hunnicutt’s mother, Elizabeth Chumbley, condemned her daughter’s actions while defending her son’s treatment during the game. “I made sure she understood quickly that her behavior, that was inappropriate, and you should not have jumped over the fence,” Chumbley told WTVF.
“I’m seeing my son on the ground being attacked,” Chumbley continued. “This wasn’t just a football play. This is him on the ground being physically attacked by this other player.”
Brandon Taylor, the father of the boy who was tackled, praised his son’s restraint in a Facebook post. “I was at the game. I greeted my son afterward, and even in that moment, his first response was, ‘She better be glad she’s a girl.’ That alone says a lot about his character. He had every reason to be angry, yet he still showed restraint,” Taylor wrote.
Taylor added on Facebook: “My son is a true gentleman, and he did not deserve to be tackled, pushed, or humiliated on the field. He is a 13-year-old child, and I will always stand up for him and protect him.”
The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office charged Hunnicutt with assault and disorderly conduct following the incident. She was also handed a lifetime ban from all Franklin County Schools properties and barred from attending any future Cornersville Middle School games, home or away.
In the viral moment that sparked the charges, Hunnicutt’s on-field dash came during a scuffle between South Middle School and Cornersville Middle School players that she said had escalated beyond normal football contact. Video of the tackle circulated widely online, drawing divided reactions from viewers who debated whether her actions constituted justified sibling protection or dangerous field invasion.
Hunnicutt remains facing criminal charges as the case proceeds through the Franklin County legal system.