An Alabama football parent was arrested and taken into custody following an ugly incident after an early season game, where he allegedly punched a coach of his son's own team after a brawl erupted between players, coaches and parents of the losing team.
As reported by The Troy Messenger and a variety of other sources, 36-year-old Jason Simmons was arrested and charged with second-degree assault following his attack on a Goshen (Ala.) High football coach following the team's season-opening loss to Pike County (Ala.) High. Two of Simmons' children attend Goshen and at least one is a player on the Goshen team, though it remains unknown if either of Simmons' progeny were involved in the fracas that preceded Simmons' attack.
The Messenger reported that the entire incident began with a single Goshen player acting unruly in the locker room following the team's 20-11 loss at neighboring Pike County. When coaches and other players intervened to calm down the player, Simmons rushed into the locker room and attacked an unidentified Goshen coach. That coach was transported to a nearby hospital, but his injuries were later deemed to be minor and he was released.
Simmons posted $5,000 bail and was released shortly after his arrest.
While Simmons faces serious charges, with penalties pertaining to a Class C felony charge of striking a school official or teacher potentially in the offing, the incident has also had a significant effect on the Goshen team itself. All four Goshen players who were allegedly eventually embroiled in the fiasco are expected to be subject to a disciplinary review by the Goshen school system, an investigation which may prove moot as three of those four students have already withdrawn from the school system.
"We will go ahead this week and move forward with administrative hearing with the school system," Pike County Schools Superintendent Mark Bazzell told The Messenger. "Three of the four have already withdrawn from the school system. There is one other who may face some disciplinary action, but that will be handled at the local school level."
Needless to say, all involved are hopeful that the incident can be put in the school's rear-view mirror. Whether or not that is possible with the season already underway remains to be seen.
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