Parents, players unhappy after Camden football team disqualified from playoffs
CAMDEN, N.J. - Some local football families say they’re being unfairly targeted. Camden High School is banned from the playoffs, because of a fight this past weekend. But, players and parents say that isn’t fair.
Parents of Camden High School football players shared video of a meeting with coaches and administrators, fighting for their children to get fair treatment and an opportunity to go to the playoffs.
"I feel like Camden is always the city that is being made an example," parent Derenda Bittingham lamented.
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Football families learning the New Jersey Interscholastic Athletic Association ruled that the Camen High School football team is disqualified from playoffs, after a fight broke out on the field Saturday during a game against Pleasantville and members of both teams were ejected. The association released a statement explaining:
"Any varsity team accumulating three or more player or coach disqualifications, prior to the start of a tournament, as is the case for Camden, will not be permitted to participate in that tournament."
"We’re being blamed for the initiators when we weren’t doing nothing but playing good ball," parent Jazzmine Boyd stated.
Senior and outside linebacker Nyair Graham went on to say, "It broke our hearts cause, like, football is all we got. We've been playing this since we were five-years-old."
The Camden School District superintendent said it will work with the state athletic association to, "Ensure that any and all actions are distributed to all individuals involved in a fair and equitable manner."
"I’m hurt because these are our baby’s chances of getting out of here," Jazzmine added.
The young men say football has kept them off the streets.
"A lot of us use football to escape from the real world," Senior and offensive tackle Adrian Woloshin said.
Playoffs is a time when many of the players hope to be scouted by college recruiters and advance their dreams.
"We want the community to stand up for them. We want people who know the character of the children and to speak up and be an advocate for them," Derenda added. "They are the kindest, sweetest kids."
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