MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — In the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s report on the Oct. 14 Hancock Central-Warren County postgame football fight, a Hancock Central player admits to hitting Warren County head coach David Daniel, but only after Daniel hit first.
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The report, which is more than 1,000 pages, is full of conflicting statements.
The differences include each team’s saying the other instigated the oral and physical confrontations that escalated into helmets being used as weapons.
Witnesses on both sides say the other team threw or tossed the first helmet.
In the report, Daniel is listed as sustaining significant damage to his eye socket, Warren County player Daniel Spence a concussion and Hancock Central player Dontarius Brookins a laceration to his forehead.
The identity of the Hancock Central player who admitted to hitting Daniel is repeatedly blacked out in the report. The player, in the report described as playing mostly at defensive tackle, said both teams were trash-talking and that a fight broke out after Warren County threw the first helmet. Warren County players, however, say Hancock Central tossed the first helmet.
After Hancock County sheriff’s deputies used pepper spray to separate the teams, the Hancock Central player said he was walking away when he was hit on the back of his head with a helmet. He rejoined the brawl and was fighting with a Warren County player when, he said, Daniel approached him and punched him three times – twice in the chest and once in the face. Then he describes punching Daniel twice in the face before the coach fell.
A second Hancock Central player, Justin Rocker, said Daniel pushed the Hancock Central player three times and hit him in the face. The Hancock Central player – the one who admitted hitting Daniel – then punched back, Rocker said.
Hancock Central head football coach Zackery Harris asked the Hancock Central player whether he hit Daniel, and the player said, “Yes sir, I hit him, yes sir.” The player denied using a helmet, instead holding up a fist when asked what he used to hit Daniel.
In the report, Daniel said the first indication of a problem was when he saw Spence lying there and then Spence getting hit with a helmet on the back of the head by a Hancock Central player. Spence said he had been sprayed and fell before being hit in the back of his head.
Warren County player, Ricardo Jones, said he saw Spence get hit as helmets were flying everywhere. Jones said he was handcuffed for a while after he fought back by striking an opposing player with a helmet, but was released a short time later.
Daniel said he was about 10 feet away from Spence when Spence was hit. Daniel then said, “What are you doing?” to a Hancock Central player and moved toward the player. The coach said he doesn’t remember what happened after that.
Harris, the Hancock Central coach, told the GBI that after the game he held his players on the field to give the Warren County players time to get into their locker room. By the time he arrived at the scene, helmets were flying.
He realized the Warren County players couldn’t get into their locker room, so he unlocked the door for them.
The previous week, some Warren County players attended Hancock Central’s game at Washington-Wilkes. Afterward, Warren County and Hancock Central players exchanged taunts and had to be separated. Considering what had happened the week before and the locked locker room, it was “the perfect storm,” Harris said.
Staff Writer Sandy Hodson contributed to this article.
It actually sounds to me that 2 coaches didn't properly train their players in the aspects of good sportsmanship, just as important as training them how to win. It has been several decades since my sons left their very successful sports careers behind. I feel sorry that good teaching has fallen by the wayside, and not just on the plsyig fields, in the classrooms and halls as well.
KSL,
Our popular media and culture not only do not value "good sportsmanship" but don't even acknowledge it.
Good sports what?
Grantland who?
Well,since it was in retaliation,it's OK! The parents should be so proud that the coachs and teachers did such a fine job raising these upstanding citizens!
This story shows there are some things that the GBI just should not investigate.
Parents instill ideals; respect, manners, discipline, honor, character, integrity, all components of good sportsmanship........coaches and teachers can only reinforce the groundwork laid years earlier.
Elephant in the room; the breakdown of the American family. Villages don't raise good kids.........good parents do.
Is it accurate that the grand jury found insufficient evidence to conclude who is at fault? Or is it their position that the evidence shows both parties were to blame?
If the latter, then indictments on both sides are in order. If the former, then it leaves everything raw, but I can't conclude a grand jury covered this up. Their loyalty to their own is a conflict of interest no doubt, but without knowing everything there is to know about everything involved, you can't say they acted predjudiced.
There was a comment on another related article about using a state grand jury for this type of situation. Why would that not be appropriate and already in place? Going forward, this would be a good option to have at our disposal.
How about both schools lose their sports programs for two years?
He said, she said and no way to prove who "started it." Failure on the part of both coaching staffs and the individual team members on both sides of the field. How about we suspend them for the 2012 -13 season? You don't get to practice or play any games in your league for the year. If you do field a team for a practice anywhere at any time you won't play the next year either.
How many times do you have to print this story? It was in here the same last week.
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