A black high school football player was allegedly attacked by several white students who placed a noose around his neck and "yanked backward" on it inside of his team’s locker room earlier this month, according to the Mississippi chapter of the NAACP. The football player, who is not being identified at this time, was not injured during the alleged attack, but he was reportedly "terrified" during it. And despite what allegedly took place during the incident at Stone County High School in Wiggins, Mississippi, Derrick Johnson—the president of the Mississippi chapter of the NAACP—says no disciplinary action has been taken against the white students by the school or local law enforcement. Johnson and the NAACP are now calling for a federal investigation into the incident.
John Feaster, the head football coach at Stone County, spoke with ESPN on Monday and revealed that the alleged incident took place on Oct. 13 inside of his locker room as his players were preparing for practice. According to Feaster, one of the white players on his team walked up behind the black player and placed a noose around his neck before pulling on it. Feaster claims he told school administrators about what happened immediately. "I reported it to the administration and handled it as swiftly as I could," he told ESPN. "The individual that was responsible hasn't been with our team since the incident. I just want it understood, it could have been the biggest superstar and he would have been gone. I don’t care who it is—if you do something like that, you can’t be part of our team."
Following the incident, the victim’s mother reportedly wanted to file charges against the white student who placed the noose around her son’s neck. However, Johnson claims she was discouraged from doing it because the father of one of the white students who was allegedly involved is a former police officer. Johnson also claims school officials did not pursue any punishment against the white students and says the victim’s mother was stonewalled when she attempted to ask the Stone County School District what they planned to do to punish the white students. It’s why Johnson and the NAACP are asking federal investigators to visit Stone County to take a closer look at what took place.
"We’re calling on federal investigators to view this as a racial hate crime," Johnson said at a press conference on Monday. "No child should be in fear of going to school. No child should be walking down the hall or in the locker room and be accosted with a noose around their neck. This is 2016, not 1916."
"Allowing students to commit blatant hate crimes without severe consequences sends a message to students that their safety and well-being are not valuable enough to be protected," the NAACP added in a statement released on Monday.
The principal at Stone County refused to comment on the incident when reached by ESPN on Monday, and the Stone County School District is yet to release a statement, either. Feaster, however, is hoping that what happened sparks change in the community.
"Trust me. I understand. I’m an African-American male and I was born and raised in Mississippi," he told ESPN. "It’s sad that something like this happens in 2016. I just pray we can get it together."
It’s unclear whether or not federal investigators will answer the call of the NAACP and visit Stone County to investigate the incident further at this time.
