Violence in high school football continues to escalate after John Jay incident

Two more violent incidents, along with the assault of a referee by two players from John Jay High School, are bringing questions about violence in high school football to the forefront.

The two incidents in question, one of which involving a referee, occurred last week in high school football games.

According to USA Today Sports, a football player from Linden High School in Linden, New Jersey pulled an Immaculata High School football player’s helmet off and then struck him in the head with it during a game last Friday.

The Linden player was assessed a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, but was not ejected from the game.

The injuries suffered were not serious, but the Immaculata player who was assaulted did require ten stitches, according to ABC News.

The player who committed the assault has since been removed from the football team, suspended from school for 10 days and the incident is being investigated by the Linden Police Department, according to CBS News.

CBS New York reports that the Linden Superintendent issued a statement that said the district is taking this incident very seriously, and “by no means is this a reflection on our school, community or athletic teams.”

The second incident from this past week involves a high school athlete from St. Anthony’s High School in Wylie, Texas near San Antonio.

According to a report by FOX Sports, a St. Anthony’s football player shoved a referee after being assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for shoving an opposing player from Hyde Park High School.

H. G. Bissinger, author of “Friday Night Lights”, thinks that the incidents are an indication of something bigger going on in high school sports, according to The New York Times.

“Is it a part of something larger? Of course it is,” said Bissinger. “It’s all about winning, it’s all about losing, it’s all about feeling cheated, and in the case of John Jay, now it’s about retribution, now it’s about revenge.”

With two more violent incidents occurring this past week, a trend seems to be emerging in violent behavior on high school gridirons.