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ST. LOUIS – Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump is now representing Cardinal Ritter families after several teenagers were pepper sprayed at a high school football game in Ohio. Cardinal Ritter father Andre Mayne was in tears on Monday reflecting on the moment his son and teammates were pepper sprayed by Massillon, Ohio police following a high school football game on Oct. 3. The two teams were shaking hands on the field after the game when some players began shoving. Although it appeared that coaches had separated the players, police stepped in and pepper sprayed Cardinal Ritter players. “They and all their teammates need to understand that this is not right,” Mayne said. Four days after the game, the Massillon Police Department determined the use of force was justified. Police said the confrontation began after altercations on the field. According to a police statement, “Officers gave lawful orders on multiple occasions for Cardinal Ritter players to leave the field.” Authorities said those orders were ignored and claimed that a Massillon player’s facemask was grabbed. Video shows that player running away from a group of Cardinal Ritter players. The police statement continues, “The Ritter players again charged at Massillon players who were now near the band.” However, in the video released by police, pepper spray appears to have been used on players about 15 yards away from the band and did not appear to be charging anyone at that moment. Nearly two dozen Cardinal Ritter families are calling for a deeper investigation and have sought help from civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump. “You don’t have the police come and pepper spray only the predominantly Black team and don’t do anything to the other team,” Crump said. “How is that fair? What message are you sending to the children?” Crump said what happened on the field was unjust and excessive. “There’s no way to try to justify using chemical agents on 14-, 15-, 16-year-old children,” he said. Attorney Sean Walton from Ohio is also representing the families. He said that following the incidents, concerned parents called the Massillon Police Department and were told the actions were justified. “There’s been no investigation. There’s been no questioning of the officers, but they stood by the officers,” Walton said. “The right thing to do is stand by the people.” Crump has not said whether he plans to file a lawsuit, but he and the families say their message is clear: they want accountability and change. FOX 2 News again reached out to Massillon Police Department and the Massillon Public School District but have not heard back before publication.
