High school football players and the parents who sign their permission slips understand that injuries are common in the sport. But they don’t grant permission for muggings. Players who cross that line should expect to face the criminal justice system as well as school administrators.
James LaShoto, an Arlington Catholic football player, will be arraigned this month on a charge of assault and battery for allegedly head-butting an opposing player whose helmet had been knocked off in a Sept. 19 game. The ugly incident was captured on videotape. LaShoto’s attorney has argued that the charge is a “misuse of the criminal process’’ and the matter would be best left to the schools to resolve. But there should be no passes issued to players who roam so far outside the norms of the game. Players who don’t want to risk getting jammed up in the court system should use their heads for something other than weapons.
