A California high school football team under investigation for a locker room incident has canceled its game this weekend following a protest outside the school, according to ABC 10News.
On Aug. 31, a student reported activity in the varsity football locker room of Vista High School (San Diego, Calif.), leading to an investigation that included video of the incident. The head coach was placed on leave while the investigation and underway, Vista Unified School District Superintendent Matt Doyle said in a statement to 10News.
Doyle also said that there was no sexual assault involved.
Vista High School principal, Principal David Jaffe, told the San Diego Tribune that three players had been disciplined.
The school has released very little information—beyond stating that no sexual assault occurred and mentioning that a boy was pushed to the ground but did not require medical attention. The statement used the phrase “highly inappropriate conduct.”
The Vista Sheriff’s Station told 10News and the Tribune that they are investigating a “physical altercation” and possible battery.
On Wednesday, a group of students, parents and alumni protested at the school, seeking accountability and action from the district and school leaders, with 10News reporting “dozens” of people and the Tribune reporting “more than 100.” A clearer view of the number of people is available on the NBC San Diego broadcast. A portion of the video clip is shown in the NBC video.
After a number of hours, police arrived at the protest. The sheriff’s department told 10News protesters were blocking cars from leaving the parking lot. The Tribune reported that some protesters hit or kicked a vehicle in which a football player sat.
NBC reported that the police were also at the school in response to a shooting threat over Snapchat on Tuesday night. In the picture, a student reportedly under investigation for the football incident is holding a gun. He posted threatening captions with the pictures.
The game on Friday has been canceled “as a result of the behavior at the protest last evening,” Jaffe said in a statement obtained by the outlets. The campus closed at 4 p.m. and all were asked to leave by that time.
He said that all after-school activities on Thursday and Friday were canceled “out of an abundance of caution.”
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