Attack on high school football player caught on camera; officials investigating

ROSWELL, Ga. — Fulton County School officials have launched an investigation into alleged bullying after an attack on a football player at Roswell High School was caught on camera.

A Roswell mother reached out to Channel 2's Mike Petchenik after an attack last week in the Roswell Hornets locker room.

“When he turned around I noticed that he had a black eye,” the mother, who asked Petchenik not to name her, said.  “I asked him what happened, and he said he was surrounded in the locker room and forced to fight.”

In a video she provided Petchenik, you can see a student punching the boy in the face and screaming obscenities.

“Once I saw the video and him egging him to hit him again, calling my son names … putting a camera in my son’s face, a bigger kid was pushing my son,” she said. “My son’s face was very bloody and nobody cared about stopping the fight and just stood there and continued to want the boy to hit on my son.”

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She said the fight was the culmination of weeks of taunting and teasing because of her son’s relatively small size and that the attack left her son with a concussion and fearful to attend football practice or school.  She says he’s now giving up on a lifelong dream.

“It was constantly him playing for the NFL.  Now that is all out the window,” she said. “If you were to ask him what he wanted to be when he grew up, he’d say NFL player. His favorite player is Julio Jones and he wanted to be just like him.”

Petchenik reached out to the Fulton County School system about the attack, and a spokesman sent him a statement from Athletics Director, Steven Craft:

“Fulton County Schools is aware of an incident that occurred between two athletes last week at Roswell High School. We are currently investigating the incident. Fulton County Schools will continue to hold our student athletes to the highest standards, and we expect them to always promote great sportsmanship towards their teammates and opponents. We expect our athletes to be leaders on the field, in the classrooms, and in our communities. Failure to comply with these expectations will not be tolerated, and we will continue to hold our athletes accountable to the highest standards.”

The boy’s mother said she hopes someone is punished for what happened.

“I hope justice is served.”

Cox Media Group