One high school football player has defended his coaches following accusations that they incited violence ahead of an incident that saw a 15-year-old suffer needless spinal fractures.

Viral videos showed the moment when a junior varsity outing went south, with one player seen blocking an opponent, throwing him to the ground, and then belly-flopping on him for no apparent reason.

I’m proud of Rhys for initiating this prayer. It’s unfortunate that the choice was made. It was egregious & unnecessary. Period. #highschoolfootball #kalamazoocentral

Doctors later determined that the teenager’s spine was fractured in two places.

The Michigan High School Athletic Association claimed to take the matter seriously, adding that, “Due to student privacy laws, we cannot disclose the specific accounta

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