A 16-year-old girl has been charged with assault and disorderly conduct after an on-field incident at a middle school football game in Tennessee. The event, captured in a viral video, occurred on Tuesday night during a game between South Middle School and Cornersville Middle School at Franklin County High School.
The confrontation happened after South scored a touchdown. Officials had thrown penalty flags due to extracurricular actions behind the play when the girl suddenly ran onto the field and tackled a South player. After being tackled, the player was pushed to the ground again. Coaches and players quickly intervened to separate the girl from the athlete.
The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office issued a statement saying, “A fan ran onto the field and tackled a player.” The referees immediately ended the game and cleared the field with no further incidents reported. Thankfully, no injuries occurred.
The 16-year-old suspect was released to her parents following the incident. She faces charges of assault and disorderly conduct. Additionally, she has been permanently banned from all Franklin County School System properties. She is also prohibited from attending any Cornersville games for the next year, whether home or away.
The game, which was in the third quarter when the incident took place, was declared over, and South Middle School was awarded a 35-0 victory.