Oklahoma HS Football Field Brawl Suspends 40 Players

It was a showdown on the football field between two Oklahoma high schools, but it was not about the game. This brawl involved players from Tecumseh and Meeker, and it got more than 40 of them suspended from playing. News 9 first reported about it last week.

“I just saw the whole Meeker's side clear out, and then our guys came over there, and our coaches were to break it up,” one student said.

“They started hitting each other in the face, tackling each other really hard, head butting each other,” another student said.

That's when officials blew the whistle and called the game with two minutes and 49 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Meeker was in the lead and took the win, but the fight took more than 40 players from both teams. 

By Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) rules, if any player leaves the sidelines during an altercation, they are automatically suspended for one game. If a player is involved in the fight, it is a two-game suspension. Nineteen Tecumseh players came off the sidelines and six were out for two games. Twenty-two Meeker players were suspended, most of them for one game. That's nearly half the roster of each team.

“One of our dudes threw down another guy,” one student said. “Then everyone just went out on the field.”

The superintendent for Tecumseh Public Schools told News 9 the brawl started between two players and then escalated. Both schools issued a statement stating they "will accept the punishment that is assessed by the OSSAA." School officials added, "while the incident is disappointing to us all, please be assured that this does not reflect the true nature of either school."

Players wouldn't say a peep about the frenzy of the field.

“I can't talk about it,” a Tecumseh football player said.