BEDFORD, Mich. — Controversy led to the cancellation of one of the area’s high school football games on Friday night.
The varsity football teams at Bedford and Ann Arbor Pioneer varsity teams were supposed to play but the game never took place.
In a statement issued on Friday, Bedford Superintendent Dr. Carl Shultz says Pioneer accused a Bedford player of making a “racial comment” during a junior varsity game the previous evening.
While being clear that the charge was a serious one, Shultz says he was disappointed the schools were unable to come to an understanding that would allow for the playing of the varsity game.
Schultz says players on the varsity team were not involved in the alleged incident as they were preparing for their own game at the time.
Ann Arbor Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Jeanice Kerr Swift also made a statement on Friday evening.
Dr. Swift says Pioneer’s varsity football coach made the decision not to take part in the game based on the alleged incident and that the district supports the position of the coach to “demand a full accounting of the incident from Thursday night.”
Both schools say they are continuing to investigate.
Dr. Shultz’s full statement from Friday night:
As Superintendent of Bedford Public Schools, I take any allegations of racial or any other type of intimidation very seriously. During last evening’s JV football game between Bedford High School and Ann Arbor Pioneer, an allegation was made that a BHS player made a racial comment toward an Ann Arbor player.
This allegation was immediately investigated based on the information provided by Ann Arbor Pioneer Athletic Administration. BHS has requested additional information regarding the incident and has yet to receive any written statements or investigation notes with further details. BHS Athletic Director Mark German spoke with game officials after the contest and was told that the alleged incident was not heard by the officiating team and that it was reported to them by the Pioneer coaching staff. It is our hope that we can work with Ann Arbor Pioneer Administration to complete a comprehensive investigation using factual information to develop a full understanding of any alleged inappropriate behaviors.
I have been inundated this evening with social media posts and media reports that provide inaccurate information regarding last evening’s game. Contrary to statements made that the game included multiple BHS player ejections, I can confirm that no players were ejected from either team.
This evening’s Varsity competition between BHS and AA Pioneer involved students that were preparing for tonight’s game while the JV Game was taking place. The forfeiture is unfortunate for those scheduled to play this evening and I would hope that in the future, a more aligned investigation can take place where facts are shared to ensure that a professional and complete investigation can ensue. It is disappointing to learn that tonight’s contest was canceled to make a statement regarding the treatment of Pioneer athletes by all teams and not specifically associated with yesterday’s alleged incident.
I am confident that if timely and appropriate communication had taken place, our teams could have participated in a game that would allow for a strong showing of sportsmanship. The one thing that is clear is that there is no place in high school athletics, or any other setting, for the type of behavior being alleged.
Complete statement from Ann Arbor Public Schools superintendent issued on Friday night:
In the Ann Arbor Public Schools (AAPS), we stand firm against any and all acts of bias, bigotry and racism.
During Thursday night’s junior varsity football game at Bedford High School, there were alleged racial taunts made by Bedford players toward Pioneer players. As soon as the Pioneer coach became aware of this issue, steps were taken during the Thursday game by our coach to address this matter with the involvement of game officials. Today, the Pioneer administrative team has engaged with the Bedford team in a follow-up investigation, to confirm the facts of what occurred, and to determine appropriate follow-up steps to address this matter. At this current time, these investigative and follow-up steps remain in process.
In addition to the work with the Bedford team, the director of high school football for the MHSAA has been notified, and the assignor of football officials for the SEC has been contacted to discuss this matter specifically, as has the lead administrator for football for the SEC.
As Superintendent of Schools, I am also in contact this evening with the Superintendent of Bedford schools.
Late this afternoon, the Pioneer varsity football coach made the decision to not play this evening’s game versus the varsity team from Bedford based on the incident from Thursday night.
In the Ann Arbor Public Schools, we take seriously all situations involving harm to our students, and we are committed to address all situations of racism that may arise, without fear. While we understand the consequences of not playing this game as they relate to enjoyment of a September evening of football and wins and losses, we fully and unequivocally support the position of our coach to demand a full accounting of the incident from Thursday night and to take action to avoid placing our AAPS athletes in a position to potentially be treated in the same manner. We stand fully in support of Principal Lowder, the coach, and the Pioneer administrative team in the deliberate steps they have taken to fully investigate this matter, and to stand strong against acts of racism and harm to our students.
We will continue our work to clarify facts in this situation and to determine appropriate steps moving forward to support our student athletes and all our students in the Ann Arbor Public Schools.