Youth football league launches probe after man allegedly shouts racial slurs at opposing team
Pop Warner will hold an 'investigative hearing' next week
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A youth football organization is investigating after a video surfaced this week reportedly showing a man affiliated with one of the teams targeting coaches from an opposing team with racial slurs at a tournament in Florida earlier this month.
Pop Warner, one of the largest youth football organizations in the country, based out of Langhorne, Pennsylvania, released a statement to Fox News Digital on Friday after video taken after the Division II, 12U quarterfinal match between the Hamden Hurricanes and Highlands Ranch Mountain Lions appeared to show a man using a racial slur directed at the Hurricanes coaching staff.
Footballs rest on the sideline before the game between the Buffalo Bills and the Jacksonville Jaguars on November 27, 2016, at New Era Field in Orchard Park, New York. (Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
"A video has come to our attention showing adults, reported to be associated with a Pop Warner team, using racist and threatening language toward coaches from another team. The disturbing behavior shown in the video is inconsistent with our code of conduct and the expectations we have of our adult volunteers," the statement read.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Pop Warner also said in its statement that it will hold an "investigative hearing" next week that could result in "disciplinary action."
"If the panel finds that any of the adults engaging in the verbal assault are, in fact, associated with a Pop Warner team they will be subject to disciplinary action, including suspension from Pop Warner activity."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Pop Warner Football: Closeup of youth helmet, equipment at Time&Life Building, New York. (Mel Levine/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
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The video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows the Hurricanes coaching staff attempting to distance themselves from a man at a hotel where both teams were reportedly staying.
According to the report, the interaction came hours after the game where coaches and fans from Highlands Ranch allegedly shouted racially charged words at the players from the opposing team.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In the video, the Hurricanes coaching staff can be seen attempting to walk away from the verbal encounter when the man can be heard shouting racial slurs.
Players lineup during the Dorchester Eagles Pop Warner football team practice in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, MA, on November 27, 2021. (Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
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Pop Warner condemned the behavior.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"One thing is clear: the abhorrent conduct and language exhibited in this video are unacceptable. Our organization is committed to a safe, inclusive, and positive environment for all young people and their families. No one should ever encounter this kind of behavior. We will take all measures necessary to address the situation."
Representatives from the Hamden Hurricanes and the Highlands Ranch Mountain Lions did not immediately respond to Fox News Digitals’ request for comment.