High School Football Players Blindside Referee with Vicious Tackle

It's never OK to hit an official. All athletes, from youth to professional, should know this.

The players in the video above played for John Jay High School in San Antonio, but have since been suspended from the team and school, and now they're facing a criminal investigation.

When the video went viral over the weekend after Friday night's game, some assumed the blindside hit was in reaction to a disputed call. Now the players are alleging the targeted referee directed racial slurs at them and that an assistant coach encouraged retaliation.

Northside Independent School District is investigating the racial slur allegation and the assistant coach in question has been placed on paid administrative leave while a separate investigation looks into what role, if any, he played in the attack.

If those allegations are found to be true, then the referee and assistant coach should both absolutely be disciplined accordingly. There's no place for racial slurs in youth athletics (or professional athletics, for that matter) and a coach should teach players to handle these incidents with tact and civility, not with violence.

But regardless of what these investigations find, nothing will justify the actions of the players. Whether the young men end up with criminal charges on their records or not, it's an unfortunate way for them to learn an important lesson.

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About the Author

Scott Brown

Scott Brown is a senior content editor for Active.com. He graduated from the University of North Texas with a degree in Electronic News before working for FC Dallas of Major League Soccer for four years. Scott enjoys kayaking, reading and playing with his three dogs. You can follow him on Twitter, Instagram or Google+.
Scott Brown is a senior content editor for Active.com. He graduated from the University of North Texas with a degree in Electronic News before working for FC Dallas of Major League Soccer for four years. Scott enjoys kayaking, reading and playing with his three dogs. You can follow him on Twitter, Instagram or Google+.

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