Lake Worth HS Football Players Boycott Game After Racial Incident

A Lake Worth High School varsity football player says he and several others decided to boycott Friday night’s game in Wichita Falls after a racial incident involving one of their own teammates.

"(I'm) definitely trying to get this point across and if that means giving up football, then that's what it is,” said senior Kamron Kimble.

Kimble, 17, plays running back and linebacker.

In a game last week against Fort Worth Polytechnic, one of his white teammates called an opposing black player a racial slur, he said.

"I was angry. I was upset,” Kimble said.

And he says it also happened before that, after another recent game, in which an opposing white player called him the same name.

"The whole locker room knew about it. And then for him to come back and say it, I was upset,” he said.

So he and a few of his teammates decided to sit out the game in Wichita Falls, and maybe future games too.

"I just knew this was bigger than football,” he said. “It's deep. It runs deep. And I knew, me sitting out tonight, especially me being a key player on the team, would make a big statement. Not only to the coaches but to people everywhere."

His statement?

"I want to let people know this isn't right, especially in sports. We have no room for that. A lot of people play football to get away from all the issues in society or what they're dealing with at home."

His mother supports him and wants the district to address the controversy head on.

"Everything has been, 'We're going to heal. We're going to heal.' But they aren't saying, 'What are we healing from? What went wrong?'" Rachel Martinez said.

The Lake Worth School District issued a statement saying it has taken “corrective action” after the racial incident but because of privacy laws couldn’t be more specific.

“Lake Worth ISD understands the importance of having a safe environment for students and staff that allows for honest conversations,” the district said, noting it brought in a guest speaker to talk to student athletes, coaches and parents.