A high school football team in Philadelphia will not play another game this season due to a brawl in the stands last weekend. Lincoln received a suspension but Northeast did not get punished at all.
The ruling presents a stark contrast in punishment for the two programs at the center of this incident.
A high school football team that essentially acted in self defense won’t be allowed to finish out its season. Its opponent will not receive so much as a slap on the wrist.
Abraham Lincoln High School dominated Northeast High School.
These two public schools are separated by less than three miles in the northeast corner of Philadelphia. Lincoln enrolls approximately 2,200 students in grades 9-12. Northeast enrolls about 1,000 more.
There is a longstanding history between these two schools, dating back to around 1950. They are rivals.
Neither program is particularly good, typically hovering around .500, but this year is lopsided.
Northeast lost 39-8 to Abraham Lincoln last Saturday. The Panthers dropped to 1-6. The Railsplitters moved to 5-2.
However, only one of the two teams will be allowed to continue forth with its three remaining games. A nasty brawl from last week has preemptively ended the year for the latter.
Who started the brawl?
Not too long after the final whistle, a group of Lincoln players found themselves at the center of an all-out melee. What started as yelling very quickly turned to pushing and shoving, which very quickly turned to punching and kicking. The altercation spilled out from the field into the stands and violence ensued.
The Railsplitters were on one end of the fight. Parents of the Panthers were on the other.
According to boots on the ground, it was full-grown men and women whose sons play for Northeast that initiated the altercation. They physically attacked the Lincoln players.
“Lincoln high school’s football team was attacked by Northeast high school’s parents after their game in which a fight broke out and players were defending themselves as they should.”
And yet, only one school will be punished.
It is a one-sided suspension.
The Philadelphia School District served the Railsplitters with a three-game suspension for unsportsmanlike conduct. That will take the rest of their season, including the playoffs.
“The School District of Philadelphia is aware of an altercation that occurred at the conclusion of the Abraham Lincoln High School vs. Northeast High School at the Northeast Supersite on October 4, 2025, and it is currently being investigated. After a thorough review of video footage, statements from coaches, parents and School District of Philadelphia Office of School Safety officers onsite and reports from Philadelphia Police Department, the Philadelphia Public League’s investigation concluded that student-athletes and coaches from the Abraham Lincoln High School Football team Program engaged in unsportsmanlike conduct after the conclusion of the game. As a result, in accordance with the PPL Unsportsmanlike Conduct Policy, Lincoln’s Football program will receive a three (3) game suspension, which will carry through the remainder of the 2025 Fall season, including playoffs.
The District and the Philadelphia Public League place an emphasis on sportsmanship, leadership and character. We value the safety of both players and spectators alike at games and expect appropriate and respectful conduct from everyone in attendance.”
The Panthers faces zero discipline for their role in the brawl.
The ruling is unfair.
It is the responsibility of the home team’s athletic director to make sure the visiting team can get to the locker room and to the buses safely. Where was Northeast athletic director Phil Gormley during all of this?
Nobody knows. He failed at his job.
To make matters worse, Gormley serves on the board for the Philadelphia Public League for football. The PPL is part of the larger committee that rules on these kinds of incidents. His school will not be punished. Its opponent will not play another game this season.
That seems backwards. In my opinion, if Lincoln can’t play, Northeast shouldn’t either.