Parents ask Rutherford County Schools to hold players accountable after pepper spray incident at football game

RUTHERFORD COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) is investigating a pepper spray incident that took place after a football game between rival high schools in Rutherford County last week.

According to several parents, the football game between Blackman High School and Oakland High School turned into chaos on Friday, Sept. 20. At least one Oakland High player reportedly ran over to the other side of the field to brag about the one-point victory, some Blackman High players confronted him, and deputies were forced to use pepper spray.

“At the conclusion of the game, it was just very chaotic when some players from Oakland ran over to the Blackman sidelines,” recalled Jordan Greene, a parent. “It was very fear inducing, so didn’t know what was going on. [I] just knew that there were players that did not belong on the Blackman sidelines, lots of screaming.”

Several other parents echoed Greene’s thoughts about the incident. Now they’re worried the district won’t institute any disciplinary measures.

Greene believes it’s important to teach kids life lessons to prevent worse behavior in the future, saying, “We hear about stabbings that are taking place, we hear about fights that are happening in school, we hear about many juveniles getting shot in Davidson County, and if we’re not paying attention now, what is this going to escalate into?”

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Rutherford County Schools sent News 2 a statement, saying district officials asked both schools send them a report about the incident and recommended disciplinary actions from the TSSAA.

Meanwhile, criminal investigation is being led by the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office.

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