miami high school football players suspended
© 2021 Advance Local Media LLC. Sep 14, 2020. The “thin red line” flag is meant to honor firefighters injured or killed while on duty. That act of recognition got them both suspended from the team. Chardon High School players carried the “thin blue line” American flag onto the field when they faced football foe Eastlake North High School. To us, the thin blue line represents the strength and courage of officers working together as a profession to make our community safe.”. Brady Williams and Jarad Bentley ran onto the field carrying Thin Blue Line and Thin Red Line flags, respectively. Brady Williams and Jarad Bentley, students at Little Miami High School in Ohio, were suspended from the team Monday, after the pre-game incident on Friday, September 11. Just Article. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Little Miami always has – and always will – support our first responders, our veterans, and all who sacrifice to maintain our freedoms.”. I can’t tell you no. ?#BlueLivesMatter https://t.co/SLERkkBHu3, — Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) September 15, 2020. The incident at Little Miami is similar to a controversy at Chardon High School. High School Football Players Suspended From Team Over Pro-Police, Pro-Firefighter Flags. “The officers of the Chardon police department strive to represent the best of what law enforcement officers should be. He reminded and emphasized that anyone who needed their help would receive it. The school suspended them indefinitely for supporting their fallen hero’s [sic]. They did so in order to honor police and firefighters for both what they did on 9/11 and what they do every day. As a result, … They’re just getting started: Democratic House Majority Whip calls introduced gun legislation ‘first step’. Miami School response video. The decision to reinstate the players came after a petition was organized on change.org, which stated the following: “Jarad and Brady took a Thin blue and red striped flag out on the field after they were told not to. I was just doing it to honor the people that lost their lives 19 years ago.“. Two of those students were suspended indefinitely, only to reinstate them earlier today. Little Miami football players no longer suspended for flag incident. “The results show that there were no political motivations behind this display of support for first responders on 9/11, but there were stances of insubordination, “Moving forward, Little Miami is returning the players to active status and this matter will be addressed as an Athletic Department Code of Conduct issue, with any potential consequences to be handled by coaching staff.”, An Important Statement from Little Miami Board of Education. “We regret that such a moment of solemnity was somehow lost in this event,” Little Miami school board President Bobbie Grice tells the Enquirer. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. Administrators must act when students break the rules. He addressed today’s concerns where tensions between teens and police are volatile. Ohio High School Suspends Football Players for Carrying Thin Blue Line Flag in 9/11 Tribute. Muhyiddin wins budget vote Update: Two Little Miami High School football players are no longer suspended from the football team after they ran onto the … This was after Hanlon motioned to ban the “thin blue line” flag from academic functions. But not everyone was in agreement with Trump’s assessment of the situation. Two high school football players in Ohio who were suspended indefinitely from their team for carrying flags in support of police officers and firefighters have been reinstated. While it might make your blood boil to see that they were suspended, there is more to the story. Two Little Miami football players are no longer suspended from the team, but future consequences are still up to the coaching staff at the school. We will provide an update if and when we receive a response from Little Miami Local Schools. If only these DISOBEDIENT CHILDREN had followed school policy, this wouldn't have happened.The school did their job…next time, don't be INSUBORDINATE…. Sign this petition to help unsuspend the 2 student-athletes who have lost their senior season.”. Two high school football players who were suspended for waving Thin Blue Line flags at a game on September 11 joined President Donald Trump on stage at a rally in Ohio. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your California Privacy Rights (each updated 1/1/21). (See image below.) Students Jarad Bentley and Brady Williams from Little Miami High School were suspended from the team after they carried a thin red line flag honoring firefighters and a thin blue line flag honoring police onto the football field Friday, according to TV station Local 12. A spokesperson for Little Miami Schools says the players did ask for permission in advance to run with the flags but were told no. The students asked the district for permission to carry the flags, and were told no. Recently, another group of athletes were reprimanded for carrying the thin blue line flag onto the football field. That’s who we are, and that’s what our community expects of us.”, The Chardon Board of Education President Madelon Horvath emphasized their support for the Superintendent in a release. And by Monday they found themselves suspended from the team, the Cincinnati-based WKRC-TV reported. Do you want to join our private family of first responders and supporters? They also cited the district’s policy that prohibits political speech by staff members, although saying it “does not diminish the District’s support and appreciation for police and all first responders.”. Was your answer political? It started in 1947 with Chief John Bohl who loved kids, and understood the importance of a positive relationship between children and law enforcement. Chardon Chief of Police Scott Niehus addressed the community with a message describing how the bond between the police department and students became even stronger, and made the two groups closer in the wake of the school shooting on Feb. 27, 2012. If this was an online comment, I would say it in all caps: This was not political.”. A Little Miami alum named Josh Johns said that he was planning to show support for the two players at the schools next home game on September 25th. The suspensions of cornerback Brady Williams and linebacker Jared Bentley, who attend Little Miami High School in southwest Ohio, resulted in an … Here is what happened. Because it was displayed as part of a pre-game ceremony under the supervision of school staff, it was construed as sanctioned by the school district. MORROW, Ohio (FOX19) - Two Little Miami football players have been suspended from their team after they ran onto the football field with a thin blue line and thin red line flag. The “thin blue line flag” has been used a symbol of support and solidarity with members of law enforcement for decades. A day after Ohio’s Little Miami High School told the players they would not be allowed to practice, the school reversed the suspension, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. Both boys had previously requested the school to carry the flags onto the field, but their request was denied and they were warned of … Follow the rules!!”. “When called upon we will respond. The thin blue line flag is now banned from Chardon High School after football players … Three players from Little Miami High School ran onto the field prior to Friday night’s game on September 11th, leading the rest of their teammates out of the tunnel carrying flags. The two high school football players carried a … The district did hold a ceremony before Friday’s game honoring first responders and the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. This left three dead, and three injured. ‘The Patriot Night’ program to memorialize the victims of 9/11 was already part of our pre-game ceremonies on Friday and the American flag is the first thing through the tunnel every Friday night. At least two Ohio high school football players have been suspended for carrying flags honoring police and fallen firefighters ahead of a recent game. The school district said Monday the students were suspended because they had asked school officials for permission to carry the flags, but were told no. President Donald Trump speaks to Brady Williams and Jarad Bentley, seniors at Little Miami High School… (Compiled from articles at FOX19 NOW, CBS Local12 WKRC, Cincinnati Enquirer, NY Post) — Two Ohio high school football players were suspended from the team after they ran onto the football field with a thin blue line and thin red line flag before the school’s Patriot Night game on 9/11. The petition received over 19,500 signatures. On Tuesday morning, the school reversed its suspension and reinstated both boys to the team. An Ohio high school has indefinitely suspended two football players for defying orders from the administration and taking “Thin Blue Line” and “Thin Red Line” flags onto … On Tuesday, a statement from the Little Miami school board said it had concluded an investigation into the incident and determined the students were not motivated politically, WCPO Channel 9 reports. © 2021 Copyright Law Enforcement Today - All Rights Reserved. … The February 2012 high school shooting that left three dead and three others injured. All rights reserved (About Us). High school football players suspended for carrying thin blue and red line flags onto football field. Law Enforcement Today has reached out to the district to ask that very question, but had not received an answer prior to the completion of this piece. Football players suspended from team for carrying Thin Blue, Thin Red lines flags at game. All the latest Law Enforcement Today news, updates and alerts delivered straight to your phone or inbox. Friday’s game was, obviously, on 9/11. And that begs the larger question to be asked: If the district “supports first responders”, then why say no. Two high school football players in Ohio have been suspended indefinitely for their actions before a recent game. Get unprecedented access to some of the most powerful stories that the media refuses to show you. He thanked the community for their support. After little boy has seizure, family gives up on 911 call after hearing automated hold message, Paramedic in police-defunded New York City bitten by patient, rushed to the hospital for stitches, Black Lives Matter protesters verbally assault young children at a cheerleading competition. He continued through the D.A.R.E. Two Ohio high school football players were suspended from the team after they ran onto the field on 9-11 with thin blue line and thin red line flags in support of the anniversary. As we have been writing this article, the situation has been updated. School board president Bobbie Grice issued a statement addressing the matter, after speaking to all the parties involved. An Ohio nonprofit group has awarded a scholarship to the two Little Miami High School football players who were suspended from school after carrying a Thin Blue Line flag and a Thin Red Line flag before a Sept. 11 game. We will perform our mission as guided by our core values, and the principles of service, justice and fundamental fairness. According to WKRC-TV, Little Miami High School in Morrow, Ohio, opted to suspend Brady Williams and Jarad Bentley after they expressed their support for first responders before a Subscribe to cleveland.com. CHARDON, OH – Ralph Spidalieri, Geauga County Commissioner went full on attack mode when he wrote a letter to the Chardon Local Schools Superintendent. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. “Brady’s dad is a police officer, Jarad’s dad is a firefighter and this was meant to honor first responders on the anniversary of Sept. 11. He owns a technology and security consulting firm and is a proud to be a native Texan. The February 2012 high school shooting that left three dead and three others injured. Two football players on the Little Miami (OH) High School team have been suspended from the team after they defied school officials and carried a thin blue line and thin red line flags, supporting police and firefighters, onto the field before last Friday’s September 11 game. The district says that in future games, the only two flags allowed to be carried onto the field will be the U.S. flag and the Little Miami spirit flag, Fox 19 reports. “The Chardon Board of Education would like to make it clear that we are in full support of Dr. Hanlon’s and the Administration’s decision regarding the football team’s display of the Thin Blue Line flag on the field at last week’s football game. Two Little Miami High School football players were told not to … Extraordinary journalism for extraordinary times. pic.twitter.com/E2fpHsJfnM, — Little Miami Schools (@LM_Schools) September 15, 2020. According to Cincinnati.com, the suspension has been lifted. Little Miami Superintendent Gregory Power tells Local 12 he received hate emails and voicemails because of the players' suspension. However, Hanlon said that with the modern climate, the pro-police flag could be misconstrued as racially motivated, and inappropriate for athletics which should be free of politics. Proceeds get reinvested into having active, retired and wounded officers, their families and supporters tell more of these stories. However, the Enquirer reports that district spokesperson Melinda Briggs says the players were told they could not bring the flags onto the field. It's outrageous that these students were punished for celebrating our amazing police officers. Their goal was 15,000 signatures, but they reached 19,715 and victory. Just Questions. He recognized that the individual perspective of the Thin Blue Line is unique depending on each person’s experience with police officers. “No. Two high school football students from Ohio, who were briefly suspended from their team for carrying flags onto the field during a game, have reportedly been awarded scholarships. It was a message that even KIDS got the other night. As such, the school organized the evening as “The Patriot Night.” It was organized as a way to pay tribute to those we lost 19 years ago in the terrorist attacks that brought down the World Trade Center towers, penetrated the Pentagon, and saw a group of patriots fight back and crash a hijacked plane in a Pennsylvania field before it could strike another target. Not at all. A pair of Little Miami High School football players were unsuspended from their team Tuesday after they carried pro-law enforcement flags on to the field during a tribute dedicated to first responders in terror attacks of September 11th, 2001. And there is something else missing in all of this. Want to make sure you never miss a story from Law Enforcement Today? Sep 15th, 2020. The thin blue line flag represents support for police officers and the thin red line flag represents support for fire fighters. Brady’s dad is a police officer. The district’s statement glosses over the fact that they told the students no. When the Little Miami High School football team took the field Friday, Sept. 11, a couple of players carried alongside the American flag a Thin Blue Line and Thin Red Line flags. — Don't try me… (@Justask95406683) September 15, 2020. They showed real courage standing up for what they thought was right. Our officers appreciated the show of support demonstrated by the players, as this has been an incredibly difficult and challenging time for many law enforcement officers across the country.”. On Friday, the two Little Miami High School players took to the field carrying a Thin Blue Line and a Thin Red Line flag. With so much “stuff” happening in the world on social media, it’s easy for things to get lost. Privacy Notice A nonprofit organization supporting first responders announced it will be giving scholarships to two football players from Little Miami … Jarad’s father is a firefighter. What are the details? “If only these DISOBEDIENT CHILDREN had followed school policy, this wouldn’t have happened. Briggs says the district is still trying to determine how the players obtained the flags in the locker room. Friday’s game was, obviously, on 9/11. A player carried a ‘thin blue line’ flag onto the field before a game, leading the superintendent to ban the flag, saying the school district policy doesn’t permit engaging in political activity. Abolish the police? Click to check it out. While we understand these students’ desire show their support of our first responders, they did not obtain permission from district officials. School statement to Fox 19. MORROW, OH – Service above self. Spidalieri wrote while calling for Superintendent Michael Hanlon Jr. to resign: “Your letter sickens me and so many others that have reached out to me and expressed the same disgust with your inability to stand up and recognize their patriotism.”. The incident at Little Miami mirrors that of another Ohio high school. Brady Williams, a police officer’s son … Scott Williams, the father of Brady Williams and a Warren County sheriff’s deputy, tells WLWT Channel 5 were not given a definitive answer on whether they could carry the flags. Two high school football players were suspended indefinitely after they carried flags onto the field honoring police officers and firefighters who lost their lives on 9/11. Trump Honors Two Football Players at Ohio Rally, Suspended for ‘Thin Blue Line’ Flag. Williams, whose father is a police officer, was asked if it was a political statement. The question that no one is asking is this: why did the district refuse their request to carry them? What's a brief history here?Brady Williams, whose father is a sheriff's deputy, and Jarad Bentley, whose father is a fireman, Two Little Miami, OH, High School football players were suspended from the team after carrying "thin red line" and "thin blue line" flags onto the field before a game Friday. We can’t take a position either way on you carrying the flag.’ So, he carried the flag,” Scott Williams tells WLWT. It’s already here. Bentley’s father is a firefighter. Prior to the start of the game, Little Miami High School football players Brady Williams and Jared Bentley carried “Thin Blue Line” and “Thin Red Line” flags across the field. BACK. Civil War isn’t coming to America. “The athletic director who called my son in the day of the game said, ‘I can’t tell you yes. Two of those students were suspended indefinitely, only to reinstate them earlier today. He started a crossing guard program and frequently found himself interacting with students. The school did their job…next time, don’t be INSUBORDINATE…. Make sure you click “following” and then click “see first” so you don’t miss a thing! This occurred after some student-athletes carried the pro-police symbol onto the football field. “Last Friday night, in a show of support for one of their coaches who also serves as a police officer, and in recognition of first responders throughout our community, the Hilltopper football team carried a thin blue line flag onto the football field with them. It has also chastised a teacher for a Black Lives Matter sign in the background during a school session. Spidalieri called for Chardon Local Schools Superintendent Michael Hanlon Jr. to step down from his position. A rally supporting the two Little Miami players is being planned before the team’s next home game on Sept. 25. The school district sent the following statement to Fox19 in response to the decision: “Little Miami Local Schools is saddened to see this story take such a negative turn. The community has rallied around the students and their use of waving the thin blue line flag. A change.org petition was created to demand that the school reinstate the football players to the team. Hanlon begrudgingly admitted that the Chardon community “developed a special relationship” with law enforcement after first responders were called to help in a 2012 school shooting. The situation received a push into the national spotlight, thanks in part to a tweet from Donald Trump, Jr. ‘Enough already’: Pennsylvania judge sets alleged rioters’ bail at $1 million. Mitch McKinley is the proud husband of an amazing wife, father to four beautiful kids, a man of faith, a patriot, a U.S. Army veteran, a member of The Federal Task Force on School and Workplace Violence – Operation Innocence. Note, the user’s response only completely ignores the question asked in Trump’s tweet, which was, would this have happened if the players were carrying BLM flags. Chief Niehus spoke of the history of the bond the police had with the schools. Thanks for being a part of the LET family! ... to carry flags honoring the police department and the fire department onto the field during the September 11th football game at Little Miami High School. The suspensions of cornerback Brady Williams and linebacker Jared Bentley, who attend Little Miami High School in southwest Ohio, resulted in an online petition calling for their reinstatement that was signed by more than 19,000 people, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. But in the wake of the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and amid the Black Lives Matter movement, the flag has become polarizing. Program, and the February 27, 2012 shooting. And now they’re paying for it. Brady Williams and Jarad Bentley, players for the Little Miami High School football team in Morrow, Ohio, have been suspended indefinitely. Todd Starnes. Two high school football players in Morrow, Ohio have been suspended following their game on Friday, Sept. 11. Does anyone think @LM_Schools would have suspended them if they came out with BLM flags?? Political activity by staff members is not allowable under Board of Education policy. Two high school football players were suspended from their team after carrying flags honoring first responders on the 19th anniversary of 9/11. @LM_Schools So, the district concluded there was nothing political involved in the display of the blue/red line flags, so you reinstated the players. This controversy all began from a Friday night football game. MORROW, Ohio — Two high school football players have been reinstated to their team after they were suspended for carrying “thin blue line” and “thin red line” flags onto the field before a recent game. As a symbol of the pro-police Blue Lives Matter group, critics say the flag — a black-and-white American flag with a royal blue stripe — can be racist, representing a division between police and the communities they serve. When the Enquirer asked him why he was making those plans, he responded: “Basically, I felt the punishment did not fit the crime,” Johns said. Bentley’s father is a firefighter. In summation of the statement, it cited that as of now the thin blue line flag is considered a political statement. So, they made a choice to honor emergency responders in defiance of the district’s answer. Three players from Little Miami High School ran onto the field prior to Friday night’s game on September 11th, leading the rest of their teammates out of the tunnel carrying flags. However, the statement says “there were stances of insubordination.”. Little Miami enjoys an outstanding relationship with local first [responders] police and fire agencies and a Little Miami school resource officer is also a high school football coach.