A football player on Gwinnett County’s Peachtree Ridge High School team was recently charged with simple battery after authorities said he roughed up a younger player after a practice.
The older player, 16, grabbed a “random” 15-year-old player outside the school’s field house after practice, put the 15-year-old in a bear hug from behind and took him back into the field house, according to an incident report and information from Gwinnett school system spokeswoman Sloan Roach. The incident took place Aug. 12, two days after the current school year began.
Once in the field house, the younger player struggled and ended up on the floor. There were no injuries and the student was not struck, Roach said. The incident report described the suspect as six inches taller and 50 pounds heavier than the, 5-foot-5, 125 pound alleged victim.
Two other players reported it and the school took disciplinary action against the 16-year-old and another player, Roach said.
Gwinnett officials do not identify students who have been disciplined. Roach declined to specify how the students were disciplined. Roach said the alleged victim’s family asked to press charges against the 16-year-old.
Gwinnett recently suspended six Parkview High School baseball players accused of physically and sexually abusing younger teammates in June at a tournament in North Charleston, S.C.
Channel 2 Action News reported this week that the U.S. Education Department's Civil Rights Division is investigating how Gwinnett handled two unspecified cases of possible sexual misconduct. The first complaint to the department was filed in March. The second was filed on Sept. 15. Roach said Gwinnett is fully cooperating with the department.
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