Texas HS Football Players 'Targeted' and 'Blindsided' Ref, Police Say
— -- Two high school football players "targeted" and "blindsided" a referee on the field, police said, in an incident caught on video during a Friday night game in Marble Falls, Texas.
The incident is now being investigated by the Marble Falls Police Department, but no arrests have been made, although both students have been suspended.
"During the game, two players from John Jay High School targeted one of the game officials and blindsided him, knocking him to the ground," the Marble Falls Police Department said in a statement today.
Both players were ejected from the game. The names of the players and the referee have not been released. It was not clear what injuries the ref suffered.
Two other Jay players had been ejected on separate plays before the referee was knocked to the ground.
The game was against Marble Falls High School in Marble Falls, about 90 miles north of San Antonio. The Jays lost 15-9.
"Both students have been suspended from the football team as well as from school," Pascual Gonzalez, spokesman for the Northside Independent School District, which includes John Jay, said in a statement to ABC News today.
"The video that we saw is extremely disturbing," the Northside Independent School District said in an earlier statement to ABC News. "It is not the good sportsmanlike behavior that we teach students. We are in touch with and cooperating with the UIL [University Interscholastic League] in the investigation."
The school district said it "will not tolerate this kind of behavior" and will schedule a due process hearing that includes interviews with game officials, coaches and students.
The league said it is "extremely concerned about the actions portrayed in the football game between Marble Falls and San Antonio Jay."
"The League is working with the school districts and officials involved to conduct a thorough investigation," the UIL said in a statement. "The UIL takes this matter very seriously and will take appropriate action once the investigation is complete."
The Austin Football Officials Association declined to comment, deferring to the statewide group, the Texas Association of Sports Officials, which said it is looking into the matter.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
