A 13-year-old basketball player is recovering from a concussion after being stomped on the head by an opponent during a game in the Bay Area. Police are investigating the incident, which was captured on video.
A 13-year-old basketball player is recovering from a concussion after being stomped on the head by an opponent during a game in the Bay Area.
The incident occurred on Sunday at the College of Alameda during a game between Tumakbo United, a Filipino-American youth basketball team, and Payton's Place, another Bay Area team.
13-Year-Old Basketball Player Stomped on Opponent's Head During Game
On an inbound pass, the son of Eva and Roderick Guingab caught the ball and was looking to push it upcourt when a player from Payton's Place ran up to steal the ball away. A scuffle for the ball ensued after the young Guingab hit the hardwood.
It's normal to see two basketball players wrestling for the ball to determine possession, but when another player from Payton's Place came over during the scuffle, he stomped on Guingab's head while he was on the ground.
13-Year-Old Basketball Player Stomped on Opponent's Head During Game
The referee, who had already blown his whistle when Guingab hit the floor, immediately grabbed the player who stomped on Guingab's head, breaking things up before it got even uglier.
WARNING: VIDEO BELOW CONTAINS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE
13-Year-Old Basketball Player Stomped on Opponent's Head During Game
After taking a look at her son, Eva Guingab said, "You could clearly see the size of his shoe on his face," according to KGO-TV.
"My son suffered a concussion for the first time he played basketball," she added.
Police are investigating after the Guingabs filed a formal report.
The family of the boy who stomped on Guingab's head said he was sticking up for his teammate he believed was kicked and punched during the scuffle, KGO-TV reported.
An organizer of the tournament at the College of Alameda reportedly told the player who stomped on Guingab to leave the gym once things were settled.
An official from Payton's Place told the station the player is now "seeking help to control his emotions, and he is not playing with the program at this time."
"The behavior that was exhibited by our player is not acceptable and is being taken seriously," Payton's Place added.
"I think everyone was just in shock. I think we all kind of went on the court and went to the coach of the other team to say, 'What just happened? What's going on?'" Michael Tolentino, who coaches Tumakbo United, said.
The incident is a reminder of the importance of sportsmanship and fair play. It is also a reminder that violence has no place in sports.
We hope that the young player who was stomped on makes a full recovery and that the player who stomped on him learns from his mistake.
