Union County youth football coach removed after video of hard practice hit

UNION COUNTY, N.C. — A video that has gone viral on social media shows a violent collision at a youth football practice in Union County.

The incident happened in September of last year at a Wesley Chapel Weddington Athletic Association youth football practice but has recently gone viral, logging millions of views on Twitter.

[9 Investigates: Charlotte doctor claims treatment headed toward concussion cure]

The video, which may be difficult for some to watch, shows two boys lined up for a hitting drill. When the coach blows the whistle, the players run at each other and collide, with the smaller boy clearly dazed and disoriented from the hit to his head.

Novant Health pediatric sports medicine Dr. Christian Turner explained to Channel 9 why hits like that are especially dangerous for younger kids.

“The way we grow, kids’ heads are bigger proportionally for their body than they will be when they’re older,” Turner said. “And so you got more mass and more force at the top. And so it’s even more important for the younger kids to not be hitting with their head.”

[WANT TO WATCH ON OUR STREAMING APPS? CLICK HERE]

An attorney for the Wesley Chapel Weddington Athletic Association said in a statement that the coach of the team was new to the program and was removed from his position soon after the hit happened.

He also said the drill was unacceptable for children that young.

Long-time Carolina Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis chimed in about the video, saying, “This video is not at all an indication of what is being taught. My two boys, nephews, and godson have played with them for six years, and not once did we have any issues close to this.”

Davis also said he believes the drill was a bad idea.

(WATCH: Study: Concussions in high school student-athletes may be risk factor for suicide, depression)

Study: Concussions in high school student-athletes may be risk factor for suicide, depression Study: Concussions in high school student-athletes may be risk factor for suicide, depression

The law firm representing the Wesley Chapel Weddington Athletic Association issued the following statement:

WCWAA’s youth football program, along with all of their other programs, primarily focuses on the safety of youth athletes, as well as the instructional and developmental aspects of the game, including appropriate drills for appropriate age groups. All of the coaches are volunteers and are required to be certified through USA Football. When this matter first came to the association’s attention back in September of 2020, the Board immediately took action to address the situation as the safety of the youth athletes are of paramount importance. After a thorough investigation, the head coach was removed from his position.

This drill occurred back in Sept 2020 on a team with a first year coach in the program. This was addressed immediately with the coach when it happened as this was deemed not an acceptable drill for this age group or the experience level of these players. Subsequent to the coach being removed from his position, there were no other incidents or issues with this team during the remainder of the season. As all of the coaches are USA football certified volunteers, WCWAA continuously encourages and requires their coaches to enhance their education and training through USA Football as well as through mentoring programs within and outside the organization. The younger coaches in the program are provided with feedback and support during the season from more experienced coaches. Again, the safety of the players is the primary focus and we believe that the immediate and swift actions of removing the coach from his position demonstrates WCWAA’s commitment to that safety.

Cox Media Group