Michigan high school footballer left with fractured spine after bigger teen jumps on him, shocking video surfaces
A Michigan high school athlete suffered a fractured spine during a junior varsity football game when a bigger teen jumped on him in a caught-on-camera incident.
A Michigan high school athlete suffered a fractured spine during a junior varsity football game when a bigger boy jumped on him and flattened him. A video of the shocking incident has surfaced on social media.
The two teens were on opposing teams during a Thursday evening jv game between Lakeshore and Kalamazoo Central High Schools when the incident took place. The bigger boy seemed to cross a line when they had just finished a play, the injured boy’s mother said, according to the New York Post.
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What does the video show?
Footage shows a Lakeshore player tackling 15-year-old Colton Mims, a Kalamazoo Central player, as the two teams tussle. With Colton still on the ground, the Lakeshore teen climbs off him and stands up before launching his full body weight back on the teen, pancaking the curled-up boy. Colton was carted off the field and rushed to the hospital after the body slam.
The injured teen was subsequently treated for two fractures in his spine. He was placed on muscle relaxers after being released, his mother Courtney Mims told WSBT.
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Mims initially did not realize the curled-up boy was her son. But as soon as she understood, she leaped into action.
“As soon as it clicked that it was, I couldn’t be stopped. I had to go down there. I’ve never felt anything like it. I’ve never been as upset or shaken up as I was over something for my son,” Mims said.
She added, “These boys are high school boys. They’re 15 years old. The game means a lot to them. It’s their whole life right now. They’re there from before I get up to go to work in the morning till after dinner, putting in the work and for somebody to try to take that from somebody doing so much is awful for me to see.”
Mims said that her son will not return for the rest of the season. Doctors are trying to determine if he will ever be able to play again.
Meanwhile, the respective schools and Michigan High School Athletic Association are trying to resolve “this issue internally.” It remains unclear if the boy on the rival team will be punished for the alleged misconduct.
The next day, in a matchup between the two schools’ varsity football teams, Kalamazoo reportedly came out on top 26-7.
