Tag Archives: youth football

Nine Men Arrested for Betting $100K on . . . Youth Football?

How bad does your addiction to gambling have to be to cause you to wager money on youth football played by kids not yet in high school?

Pretty bad, it would seem, and cops in Broward County (FLA) even have surveillance video showing parents exchanging money in the stands while watching their kids’ play.  And it wasn’t just parents putting money on the games: coaches may also have been involved, making you wonder if they ever played kids who were hurt, or pulled healthy kids from games to intentionally lose. And we’re not talking about a couple of bucks or a wager for beer: investigators believe the wagering on games topped $100,000 for a championship game.

Amazing video below, but first, more on the story from the Huffington Post:

Coaches routinely met before games and set point spreads, investigators said, but they do not believe the games were thrown or that coaches encouraged players not to complete a touchdown in order to control the outcome. Authorities said they had no evidence that the players were aware of the bets.

“It’s about kids being exploited unfortunately by greedy parents and greedy grown-ups and coaches who were basically nothing more than criminals,” Sheriff Al Lamberti said.

After months of surveillance, digging through trash cans and raiding two gambling houses, authorities arrested alleged ringleader Brandon Bivins, known as ‘Coach B’ in the community, charging him with felony bookmaking and keeping a gambling house. Eight others were also charged Monday with bookmaking and some were charged with keeping a gambling house.

Caught on Video: Youth Football Coach Caught Punching Referee

Great local video here of the incident involving a youth football coach in Florida (players appear to be about 9 or 10-years-old) who, after a game was suspended because of foul language, decided to punch one of the referees as he left the field.  If you watch the video below, you can clearly see assistant “coach” Dion Robinson, 43, sucker punch referee Andrew Keigans as he is attempting to leave the field.

To make matters worse, when the local reporter talks to Robinson’s fellow coaches on the West Park Saints, they appear to defend his actions, claiming the referee had “physically moved a 10-year-old player out of the way” and that the coaches were just “taking care of their kids.”  The assistant’s stood tall, until the reporter asked about Robinson’s lengthy criminal record, including assault and drug charges, and they turned and walked away. The real question is: why was this guy even coaching?

Not surprisingly, the Miami-Dade Extreme Youth Football League is considering kicking the Saints out of the league.

Video below, but first more from WSVN-TV:

The Broward Sheriff’s Office arrested Robinson late Monday afternoon and charged him with battery. The incident was caught on camera during a game between the West Park Saints and Miramar Patriots in Broward, on Saturday. The video was quickly uploaded to YouTube. Soon after, police went looking for Robinson.

Now, the Miami-Dade Extreme Youth Football League is considering kicking the West Park Saints out of the league in light of these new events. The referees ended the game after the altercation, but Robinson had fled the scene.

Referee Andrew Keigans told police the attack happened after he called an unsportsmanlike penalty against the Saints because an assistant coach, identified as 43-year-old Dion Robinson, made a derogatory comment from the sidelines.  Keigans posted this text: “I feel bad for the kids who had to see their coaches, role models, acting like that.”

WSVN-TV –

Florida Youth #Football #Brawl, Attack on Referee, Caught on Video – #Sarasota Gators

First, the adults started acting like children, then the children started acting like professional wrestlers, resolving their dispute with the game officials not with words or logic, but with violence. But fortunately, no folding chairs. Also, unlike the WWE, it looks like felony charges will be filed against several of those involved. Keep in mind, this is a league of players who are 13 and 14-years-old.

Video of this incident from Sarasota, Florida below, but first some detail from USA Today:

The melee began Saturday when some unhappy coaches of the Sarasota Gators began throwing water bottles at officials, according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.  One player in the game for 13 and 14-year-olds makes a flying tackle of a ref. Then players and coaches swarm the field and one man appears to kick the referee in the head.

Attacking a sports official is a third-degree felony in Florida, and Sarasota County Sheriff’s Col. Steve Burns said he expects charges to be filed against two or three people once individuals are identified and interviewed.  “The video speaks for itself,” Burns said. “It was disturbing.”