If you are an adult, especially one that works with children to better grow their athletic ability with sportsmanship in mind, you probably don't want to go pushing opposing players during the post-game handshake.
Don't go telling that to the Marquette Junior Mustangs Football program because these guys PLAY TO WIN THE GAME (AND PUSH PEOPLE AFTER)! Head coach Tony Warneke has resigned his position after shoving an 11-year-old kid on the other team after a game this Saturday. Of course, because Warneke is due for some good Karma his way, the whole incident was caught on tape and the parents of the shoved kiddo are pressing charges.
The push was, of course, caught on video and aired on St. Louis-area television stations. The grainy video, shot at a game Saturday, shows a brawny coach pushing a pint-size player in the face mask, sending him stumbling out of the frame.
The boy's parents are pressing assault charges, and police in Chesterfield, Mo., say they expect the local prosecutor to make a decision on whether to pursue the case by Wednesday.
Now, for the other foot to drop with this story. It appears that the 11-year-old boy, along with some of his teammates, were screaming obscenities and such at the coach and his players during the friendly high-five interaction. Warneke, in an interview with a local television, KSDK, (that I hope is affiliated with Drew Magary) said if it had been his own son acting like a fool, he'd have taken him to the turf just the same.
The coach, in an interview with television station KSDK, said he thought the boy, who played for the opposing team, was being unsportsmanlike, and he shoved him as he would any other player who got out of line, including his own son.
"One of the kids coming at me was saying 'you suck' and coming at our players," Warneke told the St. Louis station. "When he got close, he said, 'You blanking suck.' And I reached out and shoved him and said, 'Knock it off now.' "
Sports
Alright, I realize that the youth these days have a lot of disrespectful hyenas running around giving principals the finger and stealing old ladies groceries, but it still isn't anyone but the parents decision how and when to punish them. Granted, if he had said "You (blanking) suck" and then stabbed him in the leg with a ice pick, all bets are off.
What are your thoughts? Was the coach wrong for shoving the kid to the ground or did someone need to teach the 11-year-old a lesson? Drop your opinion in the comments.
