News

Actions

High school reports racial, sexist slurs, Confederate flag during football game

Posted

DENVER (KMGH/CNN) - Two high school football teams - the Weld Central High School Rebels and the Manual Thunderbolts - clashed after one said the other was using racial and sexist slurs during a game Friday night.

Manual High School, who hosted the Weld Central High School Rebels, also accused the team of allowing the display of a Confederate flag during the Friday night game. 

On Saturday, Denver Public Schools officials released a statement saying Weld Central High School fans brought a Confederate flag to their game at Manual High School, but Weld Central High School officials said they did not see such a thing happen. 

"We did ask them to remove that flag, and they did and I think unfortunately it set a tone of tension both on the field and off the field," Deputy Superintendent Susana Corva said.

The school system also said that some of their players reported that players from the Rebel team taunted them with racial slurs.

School district officials and administrators from Manual High School said the flag was only the beginning of confrontations throughout the game.

"I didn't see the rebel flag. I didn't see any flag at all," said Scott Richardson, the Weld Central High School assistant principal and athletic director.

"They were waving a Confederate flag over here," said parent Travon Toliver, whose son plays for Manual. "Come down to the inner city and play us, and then the first thing you do is fly a Confederate flag?"

Denver Public Schools backed up those claims.

One parent, whose daughter plays on the Manual Football team, said the fans also were yelling racial slurs.

"I could hear them using it, but you know, as you get older, you develop a thicker skin," Roxann said.

Her mother said that's not all the 14-year-old girl had to deal with.

"She says they called her the B word. She said they called her a monkey," Roxann said.

"You talk about a girl that plays at our school - our school team that's well respected that has earned her chance to play. She's a starter. And they say that she's a n***** b. That's not cool," Toliver said. 

Richardson said he will be talking to the Rebels football team about the allegations.

"These things whether they happened or not you need to know it's not acceptable and there's no place at Weld Central for these things," Richardson said.

In the end, both districts say they want the same thing for all of their students.

"We want them to feel safe and comfortable and enjoy their experience at our high school, and if we're doing that to another school, then that's not acceptable," Richardson said.

Both districts say they plan to further discuss the incident.

Copyright 2017 KMGH via CNN. All rights reserved.