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Report: Police secure arrest warrant for Florida high school football player after on-field altercation

hunterby: Hunter Shelton5 hours agoHunterShelton_
On3 football stock photo

An incident that occurred during a Florida high school football playoff game on Friday night has led to police securing an arrest warrant for an 18-year-old player.

News4Jax reported on Tuesday afternoon that the Fernandina Beach Police Department now has an arrest warrant for a Bell High School player who struck a Fernandina Beach High School player at the end of a play on Friday night.

Video captured two players getting into a shoving match away from a play in the first round of the SSAA Atlantic State Championship. The Bell player got ahold of the Fernandina Beach player’s face mask. As the Fernandina Beach player began to pull away, his helmet came off. The Bell player then swung the helmet and struck the Fernandina Beach player in the face, sending him down to the ground:

The Bell player tossed the helmet after connecting and walked away as other Fernandina Beach players and coaches rushed onto the field. According to the report, there were multiple scuffles that ensued both on and off the field.

There were a pair of Fernandina Beach officers working at the game who helped gain control of the situation, per the report. Fernandina Beach PD then escorted the Bell bus and players off Amelia Island. On Monday, the Nassau County School District issued a statement praising how the Fernandina Beach team handled the situation:

“The incident at the conclusion of last Friday night’s football game between Fernandina Beach High School and Bell Middle/Senior High School, involving a Bell player pulling a FBHS player’s helmet off and striking him in the head with the helmet, has been reported to the Sunshine State Athletic Conference for investigation,“ the statement said.

“Bell Middle/Senior High School administration is aware of the incident and appropriate disciplinary consequences will be administered. The safety of our student athletes and proper sportsmanship are top priorities for all athletic programs at Fernandina Beach High School. We are proud of how our players, coaches, staff members, parents and fans represent the Pirate community. They are all to be commended for their response to what could have escalated into something much worse.”

Fernandina Beach won the game 48-21, moving on to the quarterfinals of the state tournament. The Pirates are scheduled to play Paxon School for Advanced Studies this Friday, Nov. 7.

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