Michigan JV football player suffers spinal fractures after ejected hit

A freshman linebacker for Stevensville Lakeshore High School suffered from two spinal fractures during a junior varsity football game.

The doctors confirmed that the 15-year-old will not be able to join for the rest of the season. This announcement prompted a state-level review.

The incident occurred on September 18 when Stevensville Lakeshore High School was playing against Kalamazoo Central High School.

During the game, Colton Mims was defending lying on the ground, when an opposing offensive lineman from Kalamazoo Central stood up and launched his body weight onto Mims' back.

Mims was immediately taken for medical assistance and diagnosed with compression fractures at the T12 and L1 vertebrae.

The player taken off by the referees at the game was the Kalamazoo Central player who was ejected for unnecessary roughness.

Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) is currently revising the play based on the rules that outlaw attacking defenseless players. No criminal charges have been initiated as of September 22.

Both districts have claimed that they have been working together on the procedures since the occurrence. 

The schools and MHSAA also stated that they are in the process of “fixing this problem internally.”