A Michigan scholar has denounced his football teammate for throwing himself on a smaller rival and fracturing his spine.
The TikTok statement comes after a local news outlet published a video of the incident and drew a slew of racist threats.
Meanwhile, the boy who was injured, a student at the Lakeshore High School near Lake St. Claire, has been released from the hospital and is recovering at home.
Highlights
- A Kalamazoo football player injured a Lakeshore rival with an “illegal move,” fracturing his spine.
- The Lakeshore student has been released from the hospital but will not play for the rest of the season, his mother says.
- Teammate Rhys Biske condemned the act but defended his coaches.
His mother, Courtney Mims, commented on his condition, saying that football is definitely out of the question for the rest of the season and that it is yet to be seen if he will ever play again.
Fifteen-year-old Rhys Biske says the incident does not define his school or the offending team member
Image credits: Pablo Flores/Lakeshore Lancer Athletics
Rhys Biske, 15, wears the number 19 jersey on the Kalamazoo football team.
His mother posted a video of him on September 25, speaking about his teammate’s “illegal move.”
“The decision my teammate made and what he did to the Lakeshore player was not alright,” he said.
Image credits: outheretrynasurvive
Rhys admitted that it should not define his teammates, the school’s coaches, staffers, and anyone related—or, for that matter, the student responsible.
While it was a false move and resulted in the injury of another, it was not intended to hurt, he claimed.
The scholar went on to say that the action was not meant to injure
“He had no malicious intent,” Biske continued. “He was doing it as a celebration or to be funny.”
Image credits: outheretrynasurvive
The enthusiastic footballer had a moment of introspection shortly after, when he saw the student being carried off the field.
“The player came to me on the side line,” Biske recalled. “He said he wanted to apologize. He felt bad for the kid but the Lakeshore student had already been carted off the field and I believe he was on the way to the hospital by that time.”
Rhys goes on to say that he was not defending the culprit’s action and reiterated that this was one player's decision.
The referees and coaches missed the incident as their attention was elsewhere
Rhys then endeavored to explain why the offending team member was not immediately removed from the field for his infraction.
“We were scoring a two-point conversion when it happened,” he elaborated. “And everyone was focused on us scoring,” while the Kalamazoo student attempted to flatten the Lakeshore player at the back of the field.
Image credits: WSBT-TV
The refs, Biske’s parents, and many others also missed this action. He claimed that when match officials saw the Lakeshore team member being carried off the field, they thought he had been injured in a tackle.
Members of the public have harassed staffers and coaches, and resorted to racism
Broad-scale harassment has been perpetuated against the Kalamazoo learning institution’s students and staff.
Phone calls have been made and messages have been sent with the racially derogatory N-word being thrown around.
Biske called out videos accusing Kalamazoo’s coaches of teaching this behavior and calling for their sacking.
He also pointed to the music that played before the match, which touched on violent themes and used profanity.
Biske pointed out that football is a violent game
Image credits: Google Maps
Said music, according to Biske, “was just to get hype.”
“That’s what most footballers do to get hype for a game because it is a violent sport.”
To this, the 15-year-old advocating for his teachers and fellow students, responded saying: “Any move in football would be assault.”
Image credits: Kalamazoo Central High School
Biske then defended his coaches, saying they did not deserve to be fired.
He lauded them for the culture they introduced to Kalamazoo’s football efforts before saying that while he did not support his teammate’s decision, he would always have his back.
The Kalamazoo school has released a statement saying that it has taken action against the footballer
Biske’s statement follows that of the injured Lakeshore student’s mother, Courtney Mims, who spoke to the local WWMT.
Image credits: Lakeshore Lancer Football
“He’s out at least for this season. We don’t know if he’s going to be able to play again. He should and will make a full recovery,” she told the outlet.
The Kalamazoo Public District has since released a statement claiming that the offending team member’s behavior “has been addressed.”
“We are reinforcing our expectations with all student-athletes and coaches and will continue to provide guidance and education to ensure this type of behavior is never repeated,” it said in a statement reported by WWMT.
Some netizens are calling for the player to be removed from school football permanently
