Arlington Catholic football player charged
His lawyer calls head butt ‘dirty,’ but not criminal
A criminal charge has been filed against an Arlington Catholic football player who allegedly head-butted an opposing player whose helmet had been knocked off in a football game last month.
James LaShoto, 17, is facing a charge of assault and battery stemming from the Sept. 19 incident in which LaShoto allegedly hit Abington player Daniel Curtin, 17, in a game played at Arlington Catholic.
A clerk magistrate in Cambridge District Court in Medford issued the misdemeanor charge yesterday after a hearing attended by the youths, their families, and their lawyers, as well as LaShoto’s teammates from Arlington Catholic.
A video shot for Abington’s public access television station shows the alleged attack, which occurred at the end of a play as Curtin was brought down behind the line of scrimmage.
“We see this as an appropriate venue,’’ Curtin’s mother, Paula, said of pressing criminal charges. “We’re hoping that by doing this, this doesn’t happen again to anybody.’’
Daniel Curtin, who could not play football for 10 days after the incident because of concussion concerns, suffered two lacerations and an “apple-sized’’ lump on his forehead, his mother said.
“There is no place on the field or in high school sports for this sort of deliberate act,’’ she said.
LaShoto, who was an honors student and captain of the team, was suspended for two games by Arlington Catholic, said his lawyer, Ronald Martignetti of Winchester.
Martignetti said the suspension, which was formulated in conjunction with both Arlington Catholic and Abington High School officials, was adequate.
“We see this as an unfortunate incident,’’ Martignetti said, and the filing of charges as “a misuse of the criminal process.’’
“This was just in my mind a dirty play, not a clean one. I’m not going to defend the actions as far as the sport is concerned, but as far as the outcome, to have this boy charged with a crime - I believe it’s inappropriate,’’ he said, emphasizing that LaShoto had a “stellar record.’’
The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association’s minimum recommended suspension for unsportsmanlike conduct is 25 percent of a season, or two games for football, said Paul Wetzel, MIAA spokesman.
Beyond the penalty guidelines, the MIAA has no standing in the matter because schools manage regular season games instead of the association. The MIAA does hold a meeting at the end of the season to review incidents and determine whether rule changes are necessary, Wetzel said.
“It’s been our understanding that the two school administrators discussed the incident and dealt with disciplinary action,’’ he said.
No penalty was called because the referees did not see the hit, he said. “If they had seen that incident, I’m sure the individual would have been thrown out of the game.’’
Officials from both high schools declined to comment.
LaShoto’s arraignment is scheduled for Nov. 30 at Cambridge District Court.
