Parents love to send their kids to sports programs and join little leagues. Whether for the school or just within the state, getting the kids involved in sports for the many benefits it brings.
Sports allow them to interact with other children and develop their social skills. It also encourages teamwork, coordination, decision-making, and sportsmanship. It increases their physical activity, and you wouldn’t have to worry about them spending all day with gadgets.
You think nothing could go wrong when they do sports, right? They would be fine if they played safe and no one intentionally harmed them. However, once harm strikes, we come to their rescue as most parents do. But what if we’re on the wrong side?
A supposedly fun game
It was supposed to be a fun weekend for the Youth Football and Cheerleading Federation families in Houston, Texas. It was a pee wee football weekend and the season’s first game for the Southside Ravens, who were playing against the Northwest Gorillas.
You can just imagine the excitement of these kids and the nervousness of these parents. The game started, and off the kids went and started playing.
However, the game had to stop because one parent started chasing a 12-year-old player on the field.
Maternal protection gone wrong
The woman went inside the field and started chasing the 12-year-old, Ivan Flanagan, who allegedly pushed her son. Witnesses said she was also holding something, about to slap Ivan. He had no choice but to walk away from the woman and raise his hand to show he didn’t do anything wrong.
Witnesses said the mother in question was upset about how Ivan tackled her child. Luckily, the woman never touched the boy, and he wasn’t harmed further.
All part of the game
Ivan’s mother, Emilla Rucker, was surprised by the woman’s actions towards her son.
“This is ridiculous. How could you get that angry at a kid’s game? Your son plays football; they tackle each other. That’s just the name of the game,” Emilia told ABC 13 Houston.
She added that the woman wasn’t only chasing Ivanbut was also cursing while she chased him.
Further action taken
Emilla filed a police report so the authorities could investigate the situation. Houston police said they are looking into this case and see what legal steps they could take.
On the other hand, the YFF has banned the woman, her child, and any of her family and their children from all YFF events and activities. The woman was asked to pay a fine of $200, while her kid’s team, the Northwest Gorillas, were fined $500 for not being able to control their sidelines.
The federation took this action since the woman in question violated multiple Code of Conduct policies of the league and the federation.
Emilla said that the mother in question, nor any of her family members, have not apologized to her or Ivan. But what mattered more to her were the steps YFF took against them.
She said it was important to keep that mother away so the rest of the kids in the little league would feel safe. And when everyone feels safe, they would have fun and enjoy the games – as they should.
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