Youth football coach facing charges after boy punched twice on video

WARNING: This story contains content that some may find disturbing. Please read at your own discretion.

A youth football coach from Georgia is being accused of child abuse after he allegedly struck one of his players on the sidelines of a game in Florida, in an incident captured on video.

The incident happened during an American Youth Football (AYF) National Championship game in Kissimmee, Fla., on Dec. 7, according to an incident report by the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office. The report says the coach of the visiting Savannah Gators struck one of his players twice on the helmet, knocking him to the ground during an angry sideline tirade. The team is composed of players under the age of nine.

The Savannah Gators have since cut ties with the coach, who has been identified as Savannah resident Gerrel Williams. He was also fired from his job as a detention centre counsellor, the Savannah Morning News reports.

“The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, along with our local state attorney’s office, has reviewed this case and the decision has been made that charges for child abuse will be filed, regardless of parent’s decision not to press charges,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement to Click Orlando on Friday.

Video of the incident circulated widely on social media Wednesday, triggering intense backlash against the team and loud calls for the coach to be punished. The clip was recorded off a screen and shared on Twitter, where it has been watched more than four million times to date.

WARNING: The following video contains violence and graphic language. Discretion is advised.

The video shows the coach angrily shouting at his players as they approach him on the sidelines during a break in play. The first boy to approach him is wearing No. 2 on his jersey.

The coach can be seen abruptly striking No. 2 across the side of the helmet with a right hook, seemingly without warning. The boy staggers and the coach starts storming around, yelling at the rest of his players. He turns his back and starts to walk away, then turns around and seeks out No. 2 among the crowd. He cuffs the boy again with a swift right hook, knocking him to the ground and then standing over him.

The boy gets up quickly and stands with his back to the coach.

The coach yells a bit more, then grabs No. 2’s head and shakes him by the helmet before letting him go.

The Osceola Sheriff’s Office says it informed the boy’s mother about the incident but she refused to press charges.

“None of those coaches would harm (the) kids,” she told the Savannah Morning News.

Williams reportedly acknowledged the video in an apology on Facebook Live earlier this week, which was posted on the Savannah Gators’ team page. The post and the page have since been deleted.

“I am going to apologize for my actions about what took place but at the end of the day, I am not going to make any excuses for it,” Williams reportedly said in the video, according to the Savannah Morning News. “I did it.”

The AYF says it has banned Williams indefinitely from all future events and activities.

“We are of course beyond disappointed in the coach’s actions, which are wholly inconsistent with the fundamental value of youth sports, which at its core is an opportunity for adult leaders to be role models for our nation’s youth,” the AYF told local station WTOC in a statement.

The Gators’ league also confirmed that Williams had been expelled as a coach.

The Chatham County Sheriff’s Office fired Williams on Thursday after reviewing the video. The sheriff’s office said it was “disturbed” by the incident and does not condone the behaviour in the video.

“As of Dec. 10, 2020, he is no longer an employee of the CCSO,” the sheriff’s office said.

The Savannah Police Department acknowledged the incident in a statement on Thursday, adding that it happened in another jurisdiction and is already under investigation.

No arrests had been made as of Friday afternoon.