A fight broke out after a youth football game over the weekend but it wasn’t between the players. Rather the coaches went at it and the beating was so severe that it landed one coach in the hospital and the other in jail and it wasn't his first time in trouble with the law.
A coach of the Claymont (Del.) Falcons got into a fight with Chichester (Pa.) Crusaders coach following the two teams’ Delaware County Youth Football League game Saturday at Chichester Middle School.
Upper Chichester Police Detective Chris Jones said the incident began as a verbal altercation between Falcons coach Larry Simpson and a Crusaders coach, identified by the team as Lamar Shaw, during the game.
After the game the two men began to argue again and that’s when things became physical -- an incident both sides call unfortunate.
A message on the Chichester Crusaders website sums up their account of the events:
“After the game was over, Chichester Coach Lamar Shaw was attacked by a Claymont coach and it is now in the hands of the Upper Chichester Police Department.”
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Jones said that Simpson, 42, punched Shaw and broke his jaw. He wasn’t sure if Shaw suffered any other major injuries.
In a post on the Falcons' website, Falcons leader Oliver Childs said he didn’t condone the incident and that the fight began with threats from Shaw.
“Threatening words from a Chichester coach to a Claymont Falcon coach lead to a physical confrontation with punches being exchanged… While the Chichester coach may have been the aggressor that inflamed the incident, punches should never be thrown at a children's sporting event. Ever!”
Shaw remained hospitalized Thursday at Crozer-Chester Medical Center after undergoing surgery.
Both teams said their thoughts were with Shaw and his family.
Simpson, who lives in Claymont, turned himself in on assault and reckless endangerment charges Thursday morning. Magisterial Judge David Griffin arraigned Simpson and sent him to county jail after Simpson was unable to post 10 percent of $75,000 bail, according to court records.
His next hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.
This wasn't Simpson's first time behind bars, according to court documents. In 2002 he served time after pleading guilty to criminal conspiracy and simple assault charges stemming from a 1999 incident and he served time after pleading guilty to a 2001 drug charge.
It's unclear why a coach with a criminal past was coaching middle-school aged kids.
The Crusaders plan on having a donation bucket at their remaining games with proceeds going to Shaw's medical bills.