Brenham girls’ team is minutes from its first win over Bryan High since 2014. Then video shows an adult run onto the court and body-slam a player
Bryan, Texas, police are seeking an assault arrest warrant after a person ran onto the court during a girls’ high school basketball game and allegedly body-slammed a Brenham student. Video of the altercation at Bryan High School on Tuesday night shows someone who appears to be an adult rushing onto the court and slamming the student to the ground, according to KBTX. No arrests have been made, and the investigation remains ongoing.
The confrontation happened with 2:23 remaining in the game and Brenham leading Bryan 67-51. One parent said Brenham was on track for what would have been its first victory over Bryan since 2014. Instead, the game was abandoned as staff cleared both teams from the gym. According to the Banner-Press, the altercation began during a loose ball, and both benches cleared after a Bryan player reportedly threw a punch.
Bryan police, Bryan ISD, and Brenham ISD are investigating what happened. Brenham coach Brad Evans told the Banner-Press that his players were physically and mentally okay following the incident. Police have not announced an arrest.
A Brenham mom says four girls ended up on top of her daughter
Cameshia Mathis, whose daughter is a Brenham senior, said she was in the stands with about two minutes left. She said her daughter, number 11, swatted the ball away, a Bryan player kicked at her, and her daughter bucked back. “And it was a total of four girls on top of my daughter fighting her,” Mathis said.
Mathis described watching the body slam as gut-wrenching and heartbreaking, saying it also made her feel rage. She said the adults involved added fuel to the fire instead of calming things down. Mathis said her daughter and the student who was body-slammed both went to the emergency room after the game, and that her daughter has bruises, contusions, and scratches.
Both families went to Bryan police the next day to file a report. Mathis also alleges that a second fight broke out about 30 minutes after the game, claiming her group was bum-rushed as the girls left the school. However, police have not confirmed that a second altercation took place.
Bryan ISD said its campus administration, athletic department and the police department’s School Resource Unit are investigating. Community relations manager Clay Falls said the district does not condone unsportsmanlike behavior from players or spectators. Brenham ISD is reviewing the incident under University Interscholastic League rules but will not share disciplinary details, as it does not disclose individual student information.
Texas law already has a special category for assaulting athletes
Police have not said what level of charge the warrant would carry. Under Texas Penal Code Section 22.01, causing bodily injury to someone is generally a Class A misdemeanor. The same law raises threats or offensive contact against an athlete during a game from a Class C to a Class B misdemeanor if the attacker is not a sports participant.
The National Federation of State High School Associations has warned about adult behavior at games for years. When more than 2,000 high school athletic directors were asked in one survey what they liked least about the job, 62.3% said dealing with aggressive parents and adult fans. The organization has tied that behavior to a growing shortage of officials.
Mathis said tension between the players goes back about six years, and both teams are scheduled to be at the same tournament this weekend as police work to secure the warrant.
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