A Pee Wee football coach has been relieved of his duties and fired from his job after he was seen punching a child on the field during a championship game.
Video captured Savannah Gators coach Gerrel Williams screaming at the young football players during the American Youth Football National Championship in Kissimmee, Florida, on December 7. He then slaps one of the boys in the helmet before punching him a second time with enough force to knock the child to the ground.
The boy quickly got back to his feet as Williams continued to scream at him. He then grabbed the boy's helmet and started shaking his head around before slapping the back of his helmet as the boy ran off the field.
According to the Savannah Morning News,Williams was fired as the coach and is no longer allowed to attend any games. The boy's mother spoke with police and said she was aware of the incident but did not want to press charges against Williams.
Williams apologized for his actions in a Facebook Live video.
"I am going to apologize for my actions about what took place, but at the end of the day, I am not going to make any excuses for it, I did it," he said.
Williams was also fired from his job as a counselor for the Chatham County Sheriff's Office.
Several professional athletes saw the video and blasted the coach, including Lebron James and Shannon Sharpe.
"If I there and it's not even my kid we gone have more than words for sure," James wrote on Instagram.
"I’ll whip him even IF* that’s his kid. I won’t let anyone pray on the weak or vulnerable in front of me. Not going to happen," Sharpe tweeted.