WPIAL investigates allegations of racism and dirty gambling in Steel Valley-South Side football game – CBS Pittsburgh

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HOOKSTOWN, Pa. (KDKA) – Allegations of racial epithets and dirty play at a recent high school football game are at the center of an investigation.

WPIAL is reviewing complaints from Steel Valley High School players against South Side Area High School coaches and players. Now some Beaver County fans say they’ve been the butt of name calling.

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With their team and coaches accused of racism and dirty play, some Beaver County fans say it was they who were attacked in Friday night’s game.

With a playoff game pitting a predominantly white rural team against a predominantly black urban team, the atmosphere was charged, but a South Side father and daughter even called it hostile, claiming Steel Valley fans taunted them from the moment they sat in the stands.

“Just constantly harassing us, constantly yelling vulgar things at us,” Alyssa Reed said. “Like Hillbilly, telling us to fuck each other, go back where we came from.”

“We were not welcome. I definitely feared for my safety, ”said Ken Reed.

“The purpose of an investigation is to get every side of the story,” said WPIAL executive director Amy Scheuneman.

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WPIAL is now mainly investigating what happened on the pitch: allegations that South Side players called Steel Valley players an n-word and engaged in dirty play. But Scheuneman said the league hasn’t drawn any conclusions and is investigating all facets of the game.

“As we all know, there are two sides to every story, sometimes more when it comes to what game officials might have seen, what a game manager might have seen. presented in order to understand the full extent of the situation, ”said Scheuneman.

Delorean Parms is the father of running back Nijhay Burt, who broke his ankle. Parms believes his son was targeted by South Side players and coaches for serious injuries.

“I don’t know, I didn’t have a uniform. I wasn’t on this pitch, but I would like to think the boys would be better than this. The coaches too. Coaches, I absolutely don’t think they would do that. I’ve known these guys for a long time.

The Reeds say they are saddened by their experience and the allegations, saying the country and region must go beyond race and learn to live, work and play together with mutual respect.

“It was a high school football game. Let the boys play football. It shouldn’t have been turned into something about race. It should have been just a high school football game, ”said Alyssa Reed.

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The investigation will take time. Independent investigators hired by South Side were at the school and will report their findings to WPIAL.

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