The 8th Circuit Solicitor & the School Board in Pickens County - along with Presbyterian College, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and the victim's family - have all made statements regarding an alleged assault that left a Daniel High School football player seriously injured.
Two law firms also have become involved.
The assault was reported to have happened at Presbyterian College in Clinton, in Room 204 of Clinton Hall -- the Clinton High Red Devils will play the Daniel Lions on Sept. 19. The Pickens board is not saying if the students to be prosecuted and disciplined are football players because, it says, they are minors. Charges such as these against anyone younger than 17 years old are not releasable to the public, under state law, unless a judge declares the individuals are tobe tried as adults. This rare case is usually reserved for the most serious crime-charges.
The victim's family says their son was assaulted by fellow teammates. The victim wrote in a statement that appeared on-line that he set up his watch to record what was going to happen in the dorm room when he realized it could be a serious confrontation.
Eighth Circuit Solicitor David Stumbo says he is aware of the situation.
The following statement was issued by 8th Circuit Solicitor David M. Stumbo regarding the incident that occurred at Presbyterian College earlier this month:
"My office is aware of the incident that occurred during the FCA team camp held earlier this month at Presbyterian College. We are monitoring the situation daily and working closely with the the Department of Juvenile Justice and the law enforcement agencies that have jurisdiction. In accordance with state law Section 63-19-2020 and 63-19-2040, my office cannot comment further at this time as this is an active investigation involving juveniles. We will provide updates on the case when appropriate and as state law allows."
The School District of Pickens County's Board of Trustees released this statement:
"The full Board of Trustees of the School District of Pickens County was made aware late last week that a very serious incident occurred at a school sponsored football camp at Presbyterian College earlier this month. Board members have now seen the disturbing video that is circulating on social media. This incident, which involved numerous student athletes, resulted in the injury of one student and criminal charges for several students. This matter is serious, not acceptable, and is being addressed by the administration and law enforcement.
"The Board expects the administration not only to continue working cooperatively with Laurens County law enforcement, but also to continue internally investigating the matter from the top down to include staff, student, and programmatic issues. This incident will NOT be swept under the rug, and all appropriate corrective and disciplinary actions will be taken.
"The students involved in this serious incident are all minors. As such, the Board cannot release specific details regarding disciplinary consequences based on federal law. However, all students involved in the situation will be disciplined, at both the school and athletic levels; sanctions may differ based on individual involvement. This matter remains under active investigation and outcomes likely will evolve as facts continue to be discovered.
"The Board is appalled that this serious incident occurred and that a student was injured during a school-sponsored event. The Board remains committed to ensuring the safety of all students and athletes and will take the necessary steps to prevent a similar situation from occurring in the future."
The alleged assault -- "alleged" because the people accused of it have not been convicted -- was originally reported by Malarkey News, an Update independent photojournalism site; and this media outlet has published video from 2 angles of the incident. A lengthy statement from the victim accompanies one of the on-line reports. The teammates apparently believed the victim had used the "n" word in a group chat.
Television media say it has received a statement from two law firms, the Moorehead Law Firm and the Kyle J. White Law Firm, releasing the video and asking for more information about Daniel High Football and Presbyterian College (on Malarkey News, the family issued a statement thanking the PC Police for their professional work regarding this matter). The law firms say, "Our clients have authorized us to release this information and the disturbing video footage of the incident, with the hope that anyone with information or evidence helpful to the investigation will contact us. Helpful information would include, not only information and evidence pertinent to the camp or the incident on July 7, 2025, but also information and evidence pertinent to other similar incidents involving DW Daniel High School or Presbyterian College.”
Presbyterian College's statement is on its Facebook page linked here.
