Georgian football players charged after locker room fight and stabbing

Two Georgia high school football players are charged in a fight that led to a stabbing after practice last week.

The incident happened Wednesday in a locker room after football practice at East Hall High School, about 60 miles northeast of Atlanta, Hall County Schools and the Hall County Sheriff’s Office said.

A 16-year-old football player approached a 14-year-old football player at his locker and lifted him by the shoulder pads, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to USA TODAY Tuesday morning. The older teen threw the 14-year-old against a locker, and the 14-year-old “fought back and stabbed the older teen with a pair of scissors,” the sheriff’s office said.

The 16-year-old was stabbed in the leg and his upper body was also injured, the sheriff’s office said. His injuries are not life-threatening, the school district said in a separate statement.

School district condemns violence

After the stabbing, someone immediately called police and paramedics, and the 14-year-old freshman who stabbed the other player was taken into custody, the school district and sheriff’s office said. He is being held at the Gainesville Regional Youth Detention Center (RYDC) and has been charged with aggravated assault and affray.

“He will be disciplined in accordance with the district’s student code of conduct,” the district said in its statement. “Violence toward a student or staff member is unacceptable and will be addressed accordingly by HCSD.”

The 16-year-old was also charged with simple battery and affray, the sheriff’s office said. After being treated for his injuries, he was released to his parents.

The school district said the investigation is ongoing.

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s NOW team. She hails from Norfolk, Virginia. – 757. Follow her on Twitter at @SaleenMartin or send him an email at [email protected].