Conshohocken Youth Football Team Facing $500 Fine For Breaking League's Rule Against Blowouts
CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. (CBS) -- A youth football team dominated its competition over the weekend. So what could be wrong with that? Apparently, their win was too big and now they may end up having to pay a fine.
"Don't play well. Just play OK."
That's the message that some parents feel is being expressed to their young football players.
On Saturday, the Conshohocken Golden Bears were doing really well, up 30-0 in a game against the Roxborough Eagles.
At that point, Golden Bears head coach Kyle Williams says he advised a referee to throw a flag on the next play.
"Can you throw a flag? It's less than two minutes -- just in case anything happens, and it didn't go that way," Williams said.
A 5-year-old player on the Golden Bears ended up in the endzone, scoring a touchdown and violating a league rule against blowout games.
"There's a 31-point rule that every organization, every team has to abide by. We violated that rule," said Mike Mikalonis, president of the Conshohocken Bears.
And with that comes a potential fine of $500 for the team by the Keystone Sports League.
In the video of that touchdown, Williams can be seen sprinting up the sidelines, trying to dissuade his player from scoring.
They're 5, 6, 7 years old. It's hard to teach them and come out here as it is, by them getting that moment and running and then say, 'OK, stop, no,'" Williams said.
Former Philadelphia Eagle Torrey Smith took to Twitter on the matter and has since gone viral, writing in one tweet: "Kids need to learn how to deal with failure. Don't want to get smashed? Play better."
"It's to prevent embarrassment on the other team," Mikalonis said of the rule.
It was clear Mikalonis was not happy with the touchdown scored under Williams' watch, or by CBS3 covering the story.
But it has gotten a lot of people talking.
Parents who largely support the coach suggested if a league doesn't want a blowout, just end the game at the 30-point lead.
The Golden Bears have a hearing on Monday where they will find out if that $500 fine will be required.
The league president indicated that other penalties may be handed down.