One week after suffering spinal fractures following an ugly incident during a high school football game, Colton Mims received a hero’s welcome from his teammates, friends and family.
The 15-year-old student from Lakeshore high school in Michigan attended the Lancers’ game against St. Joseph’s High School on Friday night at Dickinson Stadium in a wheelchair.
Mims wore his No. 68 team jersey and was guided by a teammate as he approached the field and was later spotted on the sidelines during the away game for his team.
“The first time taking the field since!!!!” Courtney Mims, Colton’s mother, wrote on Facebook. “That’s my BIG BABY!”
Parents from St. Joseph’s also organized a prayer circle around the injured teen outside the sports complex.
“He’s an angel. His teammates are THE BEST EXAMPLE OF YOUNG MEN I’ve seen in a long time,” Courtney wrote.
“Couldn’t be more blessed with my SJ moms for letting me know they organized this. Allowed/gave us as moms this sweet spot before (the game) And their boys! who have also been so sweet!”
The viral incident occurred during a game on Sept. 19 when Colton was knocked to the ground by a hit from a Kalamazoo Central opponent wearing No. 73.
Then, with the ball 10 yards away and Colton lying on the ground, the much-larger Kalamazoo Central player jumped up and landed with his full body weight on him.
After absorbing the massive blow, Colton was carted off the field and taken to a hospital.
Colton Mims reportedly should make a full recovery, but will not play again this season.
Rhys Biske, a member of the Kalamazoo Central High School football team, last week spoke out about his teammate’s “illegal move.”
“The decision my teammate made and what he did to the Lakeshore player was not alright,” Biske said in a video posted on TikTok via his mother’s account. “It was an illegal move and had no place. I’m not going to try to defend that. It was a horrible decision.”
The teen claimed the “move was intentional,” but also said his teammate had no malicious intent to injure the fallen rival, calling it a “celebration and to be funny.”
“After the play, he came to me on the sideline, he said he wanted to apologize, he felt bad for the kid, but the Lakeshore student had already been carted off the field,” Biske said.
According to Fox News, an official with the state’s high school athletics association said the school has taken “strong and decisive action” against the offending Kalamazoo Central player.
“Our staff has been speaking with both schools since Friday. Kalamazoo Central has taken this matter very seriously and they have taken strong and decisive action,” the Michigan High School Athletics Association (MHSAA) told the outlet.
“Due to student privacy laws, we cannot disclose the specific accountability actions, but they have exceeded what MHSAA regulations would otherwise require in cases of dangerous and unsportsmanlike behaviour.”