(WXYZ) — The Detroit Police Athletic League has suspended the Eastside Colts youth sports organization for one year following an altercation between coaches and a referee at a fundraising game.
Watch the video report below:
The incident occurred at a non-PAL-sanctioned 12-and-under game nearly two weeks ago in Warren, where tempers flared as coaches from the Eastside Colts got into a confrontation with a referee.
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Bobby Christian, president of the Eastside Colts, said the punishment is too severe and will ultimately hurt children who had nothing to do with the incident.
"PAL is a great organization, the only issue I have with PAL is we never fault children for adult matters," Christian said.
Christian acknowledged his coaches were wrong and said he suspended them personally after the incident.
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"My coaches are completely wrong. I suspended them myself. I suspended them personally. You guys are done. They're completely wrong, but I'm not sure how many times you can poke a person before they black out," Christian said.
Christian alleged the referee used inappropriate language during the game.
"What was this referee doing? A lot of things you can't say on TV," Christian said. "You B this. You A that. I'll kill you this."
PAL enforces zero-tolerance policy
Detroit PAL initially handed out indefinite suspensions for the coaches and referee involved. The organization has now expanded the punishment to include the entire Eastside Colts organization, which includes both football and cheer teams.
In a statement, Detroit PAL said:
"Detroit PAL is committed to ensuring that every child who participates in our programs has a safe, positive, and fun experience on and off the field. Following a recent incident at an unsanctioned football game involving a PAL team, Detroit PAL conducted a thorough review. As a result of that investigation, the team involved has been suspended from participation in PAL programming for one year.
In addition, Detroit PAL has reiterated to all coaches, referees, players, and families that we are strictly enforcing a zero-tolerance policy regarding fighting and poor sportsmanship. These measures are necessary to uphold the values of respect, teamwork, and integrity that are central to our mission.
Our priority will always be to protect our young athletes and provide them with a supportive environment to grow, learn, and enjoy the game."
Impact on young athletes
The suspension has already affected other teams within the organization. Rachelle Copeland, an Eastside Colts mom and cheer coach, said her team was unable to participate in a cheer jamboree.
"We were supposed to do a cheer jamboree that was just this past Sunday and we couldn't participate," Copeland said. "My girls are suffering from that and a lot of my girls, this is the only thing that they really have that's fun, something that's structured, something that brings positivity to them."
Related Video: Altercation unfolds between coaches and referee at youth football game
Christian argued the punishment should have been limited to the coaches of the 12-and-under team involved in the incident.
"Canceling the 12U coaches or maybe even the 12U completely would've been warranted, but canceling a 6U, a 8U, a 10U, a 13U, a 14U that wasn't even there, that didn't even know what was going on? That's completely unfair. And they told me they weren't going to do that," Christian said.
However, other PAL parents support the organization's decision. Kenthia Morton said a line has to be drawn.
"They have to take a stand somewhere, to let it know it's not going to be tolerated. Unfortunately, it involves kids, but kids can ... switch over to a different team," Morton said.
Christian says he's already lost roughly 50 players. He plans to appeal PAL's decision but admits he's not sure if that effort will be successful.
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