Young football players racially abused by crowd for kneeling during national anthem in Pittsburgh

  • Twelve-year-olds were subjected to a barrage of abuse, says their coach
  • Incident at game all-black Woodland Hills Wolverines game in Bethel Park
  • Claim: 'If the little n----- wants to take a knee, they shouldn't be able to play'
  • Head coach Marcus Burkley Sr blasted the Bethel Park Hawks supporters  

By Gareth Davies For Mailonline

Published: 07:06 EST, 13 October 2016 | Updated: 10:08 EST, 13 October 2016

Twelve-year-old football players were subjected to racial abuse after taking a knee during the national anthem. 

Football fans hurled slurs at the all-black Woodland Hills Wolverines after a few of its players showed their solidarity with the gesture, their coach Marcus Burkley Sr said.

The head coach said even parents of his boys were banned from the concession stand in the Pittsburgh suburb of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, and one fan was overheard saying, 'If the little n----- wants to take a knee, they shouldn't be able to play'.

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Football fans hurled slurs at the all-black Woodland Hills Wolverines (pictued playing) after a few of its players showed their solidarity with the gesture, their coach Marcus Burkley Sr said

Football fans hurled slurs at the all-black Woodland Hills Wolverines (pictued playing) after a few of its players showed their solidarity with the gesture, their coach Marcus Burkley Sr said

Three boys decided to kneel for the anthem in solidarity with police brutality protests made famous by NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick (pictured center)

Three boys decided to kneel for the anthem in solidarity with police brutality protests made famous by NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick (pictured center)

Wolverines players aged 12 and 13 said they were repeatedly called the N-word by opposition Bethel Park Hawks. 

Talking to WPXI-TV, Burkley Sr said:  'Once they took the knee, you see cameras and people flashing, taking pictures of what's going on and out of nowhere you just hear, "If the little N-word wants to take a knee, they shouldn't be able to play".

The coach also said parents and family who had come to support were refused service when trying to buy food and drinks after they were told staff would not be serving 'you Woodland Hills people'. 

The three youngsters who kneeled during the anthem in the game on Saturday had started doing so earlier in the season. They were showing solidarity with the police brutality protests by NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick

The three youngsters who kneeled during the anthem in the game on Saturday had started doing so earlier in the season. They were showing solidarity with the police brutality protests by NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick

Paul Currie, president of Bethel Park Junior Football, said he did not hear the slurs during the game, but the situation was so bad, according to the Wolverines coach, that police were called to keep the peace. 

A meeting has been called to discuss the events, Mr Currie said. 

The three youngsters who kneeled during the anthem in the game on Saturday had started doing so earlier in the season.

They were showing solidarity with the police brutality protests by NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

When asked about the gesture, the trio said told their coach they were not doing it because it was a fad, and cited the 2014 fatal shooting of Tamir Rice in Cleveland whose pellet gun was mistaken for a real one.   

'Tamir Rice was a 12-year-old and we're still 12-year-olds,' one of the boys said, according to their coach.

Burkley Sr said: 'The ones who took a knee did so because they feel African-Americans are not being treated equally.

'And I didn't take a knee with them, but I told them, "I'll back you 100 percent if we receive any backlash," and I knew we would.

'It was bad,' he told PennLive.

The Wolverines went on to win 20-6, but the coach took to Facebook to rage they were regularly forced to face fourth downs after second downs and referees called penalties against them without explaining why. 

MailOnline has contacted Bethel Park Hawks for comment and Bethel Park Police Department were not immediately available, according to New York Daily News.

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