Black high school football player reportedly forced to sit in locker room with banana peels

A Black high school football player in Illinois was subjected to treatment that resulted in an investigation by authorities.

Banana peels Football Player Investigation

A teen at Molines High School was captured sitting in a locker room decorated with banana peels, reports The Chicago Sun-Times.

He was reportedly forced to take a seat in the room by teammates who threatened to break his knees if he didn’t listen.

The 11-second video of the incident — which was filmed on Thursday night (April 8) — was shared on social media, eventually getting the attention of the Moline police.

After reviewing the footage, cops interviewed athletes, coaches and staff members on Friday (April 9) upon their return from an away game.

Police Account

The police department released a statement:

“On the evening of April 9, 2021 the Moline Police Department became aware of a shocking viral video circulating on social media,” Moline Police Chief Darren Gault said in statement. “The video depicted a disturbing racist scene involving a Moline High School football player in a locker room.”

The high school athletes involved in the incident were described as “individuals of both different and similar races to the victim.” They were also said to be friends — a detail that Gault said was no excuse for the foul treatment.

“Regardless of these facts, we all agree that this is a disgusting way to treat a fellow teammate, a fellow human and most certainly a friend,” he said.

The Moline Police Department’s completed its investigation and submitted it the state’s attorney for further review.

The Moline-Coal Valley School District is also conducting an investigation into the incident to determine if there were any school code violations or violations of district polices. They ensured that the occurrence “does not represent our core values and has no place in our learning community” and vowed to take “decisive action” after the completion of their probe.”