Saugus

Saugus youth football games cancelled after fight between parents

Saugus Police say they responded to a 911 call that reported five or six people fighting in the stands at around 9:48 a.m.

NBC Universal, Inc.

Youth football games in Saugus, Massachusetts, were cancelled Sunday morning after a fight erupted between a group of parents during a game.

Saugus police say they responded to a 911 call that reported five or six people fighting in the stands at around 9:48 a.m.

Witnesses told police that an argument between a Salem and Saugus parent turned physical.

One woman was treated for injuries but was not transported to a hospital, according to authorities.

There were no arrests made, and the individuals were dispersed. The game in progress was cancelled, as were the rest of the scheduled games.

The Salem father who was involved tells NBC10 Boston that he was attacked. He says he now has scratches on his legs, but more importantly, he says this isn't fair to his kids.

The family shared a video of the fight, showing things getting physical between parents in the stands at Saugus Stadium.

Police haven't said what started the fight, but the family tells NBC10 Boston that the hostility between these cities started at a game in Salem two weeks ago. The father says he is always respectful while cheering for his two sons during the games -- but some Saugus parents apparently didn't like that.

"I feel like this is happening because my boys, they're half Black... I’m being profiled. That's flat out what it is. Because other parents be in stands cheering, there’s no problems," said Chukuma Haluwah, the boys' father.

"I think the most upsetting part for me was the video that was sent of my son to the president of our league claiming that we were [falsifying] his age," said Janelle Gordon, the boys' mom.

“So there was some tensions building up... from two weeks ago when we played them here in Salem,” said Bryanna Croce, the boys' aunt.

The family says they want to see change in how administrators handle this type of behavior.

Meanwhile, Saugus Youth Football and Cheer released a statement saying in part, "I want to deeply apologize to all families and their athletes for the great disappointments of the day. The actions that occurred today are not to the standards we set as a league.”

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