The school where a young football player suffered a fractured spine after being jumped on by another player has revealed its approach to handling the incident.
A video captured during a JV high school football game in Michigan showed a distressing scene where one player aggressively jumped on another player towards the end of a play.
The injured player, 15-year-old Colton from Lakeshore High School, sustained a fractured spine as a result. The footage from the game, which took place last Thursday (September 18), depicted a larger player initially tackling Colton to the ground before jumping on him again while he was down.
Colton’s mother spoke to local media about the incident, sharing her shock upon understanding the severity of her son’s injuries.
In an interview with WSBT, she expressed: “As soon as it clicked that it was, I couldn’t be stopped.
“I had to go down there. I’ve never felt anything like it.
“I’ve never been as upset or shaken up as I was over something for my son.
“These boys are high school boys. They’re 15 years old. The game means a lot to them. It’s their whole life right now.
“They’re there from before I get up to go to work in the morning till after dinner, putting in the work and for somebody to try to take that from somebody doing so much is awful for me to see.”
Kalamazoo Central High School, the school of the player involved in the incident, has stated they are taking ‘strong and decisive action’ regarding the situation.
The Michigan High School Athletics Association (MHSAA) conveyed to Fox News Digital: “Our staff has been speaking with both schools since Friday.
“Kalamazoo Central has taken this matter very seriously and they have taken strong and decisive action.
“Due to student privacy laws, we cannot disclose the specific accountability actions, but they have exceeded what MHSAA regulations would otherwise require in cases of dangerous and unsportsmanlike behavior.
“Our schools can provide additional details as they decide to do so, since they are handling things internally.”
Though the school did not specify the measures being taken against the offending student, they issued a statement condemning his actions.
The statement read: “An incident that occurred during Kalamazoo Central High School’s Junior Varsity football game on Sept. 19 was the action of an individual student who displayed an egregious act against a player on the opposing team.
“This type of behavior is unacceptable and does not reflect the values of sportsmanship, respect, and integrity that Kalamazoo Public Schools expects from student-athletes, coaches and the entire school community.”