Photo: Tetra images RF
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump is representing a team of predominantly Black football players who were pepper-sprayed by police following a game in Ohio earlier this month.
On Monday (October 27), Crump announced that he was taking on the case involving 23 Cardinal Ritter College Prep football players who were sprayed by the Massillon Police Department during a postgame altercation on October 3, per KSDK.
Police officers were providing security at Cardinal Ritter's matchup against Massillon Washington High School when the incident unfolded. Cardinal Ritter lost the game 28–14. The department claimed officers deployed pepper spray after players refused to follow commands.
Parents and players from Cardinal Ritter noted that only their team was sprayed.
“Why did the police have to come and over-police the matter against the predominately Black football team?” Crump questioned during a recent press conference.
Following the incident, families said they received frantic phone calls from their children, who were crying and using milk and water to rinse out their eyes. Some said their sons are still suffering from lingering physical effects.
“It’s police violence against our children and our community,” attorney Anthony Pierson added. “It’s a parent’s worst nightmare. You send your kids off for an athletic event in another state and you get a horrific phone call.”
Cardinal Ritter College Prep President Tamiko Armestead said the school will continue to press for answers.
“Neither the school nor the district have shown any interest in supporting an official investigation into why this happened,” Armestead said. “We will continue offering counseling and other services to the students and their families however we can.”
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