A high school football player in Florida was arrested for his role in a violent incident between Bell and Fernandina Beach last week. The 18-year-old student-athlete was charged with one count of battery.
He has since been released on bond.
This disturbing high school football incident took place in the final moments of the first game of the Sunshine State Athletic Association playoffs. According to multiple eyewitnesses, it was an entirely one-sided and completely unprompted altercation.
Bell lost to Fernandina Beach.
Bell finished the regular season at 5-4 to earn the No. 7 seed in the state championship bracket. Fernandina Beach finished at 5-5 to earn the No. 2 seed. The Pirates dominated the Bulldogs.
The higher seed defeated the lower seed by a final score of 48-21.
Unfortunately, the game did not end in a cordial handshake line.
Fernandina Beach ran the ball on the final play of the game to run out the clock. As the running back was tackled near the sideline, a scuffle broke out near the line of scrimmage.
The Bell player, wearing No. 55, latched on to a defender, wearing No. 23. He grabbed on to his facemask and threw a punch. And then, as the big offensive lineman went to throw a second punch, the defender’s helmet came off of his head. No. 55 proceeded to swing No. 23’s helmet at the head and/or neck area of No. 23.
The Florida high school football player was arrested.
Credit to the coaching staffs for both schools and the Florida high school football officials. A video of the violent incident in its entirety shows they were very quick to deescalate the situation. Local police got the visiting players off of the field and escorted their team buses off Amelia Island as soon as possible.
But the damage was already done.
According to News4Jax, a Fernandina Beach player’s mom saw a cut on the side of No. 23’s face after he was hit in the head with his own helmet. He was bleeding.
In addition, the Bell senior who swung the helmet was arrested by the Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Office on Nov. 4 and charged with one count of battery. The warrant for his arrest claims he “aggressively pushed and then removed the helmet of a 15 year old Fernandina Beach High School player, subsequently striking him in the head with it.” He also tackled the Pirates player to the ground two plays prior.
The Bell High School senior was later released on bond, which was set at ~$1,500.
Gilchrist County Schools released a statement to denounce the behavior. Nassau County reported the incident to the Sunshine State Athletic Association, which also announced its own investigation.
The Pirates play next at home on Friday.