Coaches, Dads in Pee Wee Football Brawl, on Tape

FILE - In this June 13, 2012 file photo, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. Last summer, gays in the military dared not admit their sexual orientation. This summer, the Pentagon will salute them, marking gay pride month just as it marks other celebrations honoring racial or ethnic groups. Officials said Thursday that they're planning the first-ever event to recognize gay and lesbian troops. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File) / Jacquelyn Martin

Even pee-wee football can be rough - but a Texas-sized brawl among coaches and parents at a game involving 11- and 12-year-olds is raising eyebrows - over the fight itself - and the punishment the local league has doled out.

The melee in Pearland, some 20 miles south of Houston, was caught on tape by a parent making a home video of the game from the stands.

The ugliness began, reports CBS News Correspondent Jeff Glor, after a player for the Pearland Patriots ran for a touchdown. Two players who collided as the play unfolded began to scuffle.

One parent stepped in, followed by many, many more. Before long, a wave of angry dads streamed toward the field, pushing, shoving, punching - and coaches from both sides got into it.

"I still can't believe the coaches actually did that in front of us, because that's a bad example for us," one player, Justin Robinson, told CBS News.

In a particularly egregious moment, a Patriots coach blindsided a father from the other team with a sucker punch to the back of the head - even as one of the young players nearby tried to play peacemaker, encouraging the adults to settle down.

Fans watched, stunned. "Shock," is the way one parent, Kim Edmonsond, described it to CBS News, "And I (was) just waiting, hoping that it (was) gonna end any minute."

Now, says Glor, there's even more anger and frustration - over a decision by the local football league -- which has banned both teams from postseason play, even though it's pretty clear the parents were responsible for elevating a rough tackle between kid into an all-out brawl among adults.

Says Robinson, "I don't think it's fair that they punished us for what the coaches did."

The league's executive board was slated to meet Wednesday night. Parents and players say they'll try to get the board to change its ruling about their eligibility for postseason play but, for now, the league says it's final.

One coach resigned, then was banned for life by the league. Other coaches have been barred for the rest of the season.

Authorities say criminal charges won't be filed.

Click on the video below to see Glor's report:

27 Comments Add a Comment

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a_dude says:: Big shocker who was the one to throw a sucker punch. Pretty typical.; reply

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oldman6635 says:: if they want to fight so bad, find a uniform to fit them and send our 18 year old young MEN...HOME; reply

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baybeblue says:: I hope the board stands by its decision. How sad to see some of the parents that post..."it was only a minor scuffle between two players". Excuses, excuses, excuses!!!; reply

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Num1lkrfan says:: yeah..just surprised no one pulled a gun and started shooting everyone...fist fights are pretty rare these days with all the cowards walking around with guns; reply

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knowerseeker says:: The "pee-wee" in "pee-wee league" must refer to the size of the adults' brains. Either that or the size of the mens' manhoods, since none of them were *man* enough to have restraint and instead brawled like a bunch of boys in a schoolyard fight. Disgusting. As for the kids... they're *kids*, but they acted more adult than the adults!; reply

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fleabag75 says:

Ahhhhhhhhh,,,,,, the character building from sports! So important to our society.


knowerseeker replies:: linkicon reporticon emailicon; lol, I know *exactly* what you mean from my experiences with sports in public school. It was just a "legitimate" way for the kids to physically assault each other, and the coaches liked it that way.

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jenellyb281 says:

I think it is past high time to start getting serious about coming down on inapropriate violent and unsportsmanship like behavior such as this. Why are so many of you defending the kids, saying this is unfair, you need to re-read the article and watch the video, this all started with a physical fight between two PLAYERS, before it escalated to involve coaches and parents. Some here bemoan the loss of sportsmanship in recent year, but then turn about and say it is unfair to punish the players?? If this kind of thing were to be taken seriously, and apropriate action taken in incidents like this, maybe players, parents, and coashes alike would get the message.


kredwine replies:: linkicon reporticon emailicon; I hate it when national news agencies report only half of a story, and then people proceed to comment when they don't know the whole truth. This incident was NOT started by the kids fighting. Indeed, there was a very minor scuffel between two players (as often happens in football at any age), which could have been easily remedied by the Refs stepping in, and penalizing both players for unsportsmanlike conduct - the end. Unfortunately, one of the coaches on the Patriots team chose to go on the the field, pick up the opposing team's player into the air by his shoulder pads, shake him, and then toss him about 8 feet across the field like a sack of potatoes. This action, and this action alone, is what started the whole thing. Of course the parent of the boy who was thrown across the field by the Patriots coach, who happend to be a coach for the other team, immediately went to his son's defense. I would not have considered him a good father if he hadn't. What followed, I agree, was completely unnecessary and out of control. There was no need for the other coaches to get involved. However, I can assure you that no parents from the stands became involved in the melee, as mis-reported in this story. Most importantly, none of the players were involved in the adults' fight. In fact most of them remained on their benches, watching in shock. As for the Board's decision to suspend these teams from post-season play, it's nothing more than politics and personal agendas. One of these two teams was undefeated so far this season, and has played in the league superbowl the last two years in a row. They are by far the best team in their age group, and with them now "out of the way" the other teams, whose representatives are the ones who voted to suspend, might actually have a chance to make it to the league superbowl. One board member even went so far as to say "I don't care how my son's team gets to the Superbowl as long as he gets a Superbowl Trophy on his shelf". I agree absolutely, childrens' sports are getting completely out of hand, but it is because of people like this board member, not because of the kids. These kids are not learning anything about sportsmanship here, they are learning how to get famous in the national media by being part of a scandal. Way to go BAFL Board. If you had made the right decision in the first place, punished the offending coaches and adults, and left the kids alone, this wouldn't be front and center on every national and tabloid news show in the country. There's another important lesson to be learned here - learn how to admit when you're wrong.

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slatep says:: My grandson has been playing Little League baseball since he was six and had no opportunity to decline, because his father forced him to do it.For three of these years his father was a coach. I attended many of his games over the years, and the coaches and the parents are the worst
behaved people on the field.

I have been trying to convince my son that the purpose of Little League baseball has three objectives. First it's supposed to be FUN, second it's supposed to teach them a skill and third it's supposed to teach them to how to work as a team.

These children have more games or practices each week than professional players.

I have been to tournaments where the kids have to play three games in one day.

Each game consists of six innings in my grandson's current age group.

I have tried repeatedly to tell my son and the other coaches that even pro players don't play 18 innings in one day, often in 90 degree heat.

In my opinion, this is child abuse. Parents who want to relive their childhoods through their children, do more damage to these children than they do good.

Every League, baseball, football, soccer, etc., should compose rules and regulations regarding their behavior at these games for both the coaches and the parents.

Anybody breaking these rules should be asked to leave the field for the rest of the game.

Maybe then, our children would get what they are really supposed to get from these organized children's sports.; reply

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barbaram99 says:

I saw this played on TV . The children should not be banned for what the adults did. Years ago it was better as people leant to win/lose gracefuuly . Children learn the wrong message. It is wrong to bar the children in this. The adults are the blame as the recording shows. The parents need to but out and let the kids play. If the ones teaching the kids can't do it then time to get someone who can.


jenellyb281 replies:: linkicon reporticon emailicon; It would be sending these kids the wrong message if they were NOT banned, the whole incident started with a physical fight between PLAYERS before it excalated to the adults. To keep letting these incidents slide is why there is so much of this kind of inapropriate behavior involved. The kids need to learn responsiblity for their actions, and since this is a team sport, that means the entire team is responsible for each and every player.

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pragmatist1 says:: ...so much for mature, rational, intelligent adults...pee-wee leagues of any sport should be banned...open up leagues for older kids and totally exclude the parents...; reply