NOT GOING BACK

H.S. Football Player Claims Teammates Knocked Out His Tooth in Racist Brawl

The football coach allegedly told Deion Smith to keep his concerns about being bullied “in the locker room.”

A high school football player in Arizona says he was assaulted by teammates earlier this week, and had to get emergency dental work for a tooth that was knocked out. Deion Smith, a senior at Gilbert High School, claims that he was racially discriminated against for months by his teammates. It ultimately resulted in a brawl, at which point another player hit him in the jaw, causing his tooth to fall out, he said. “So then I’m noticing, I’m bleeding, I’m leaking,” he said. Smith said that he alerted football coach Derek Zellner, but the coach allegedly just patted him on the back and told him to “keep it in the locker room.” Smith no longer wants to play on the Gilbert football team or attend the high school at all. In a statement, a Gilbert Public Schools spokesperson said high school administration and the Gilbert Police Department launched an investigation, which is currently ongoing, as soon as they were informed of the situation.