Racist online posts cancel another Northern California football team's season

'Disturbing' and 'reprehensible' slave auction video ends the season at River Valley of Yuba City

With all eyes on California this week for the biggest national football game of the season, another off-the-field incident continues to shed shade on the Golden State. 

A second Northern California team in a week canceled its football season for a racist act, described by some as an "offensive prank," and by school officials as "disturbing" and "reprehensible."

River Valley of Yuba City forfeited its game last Friday with Woodcreek for sharing a video that depicted a slave auction with African American teammates. 

Because so many players were removed from the team for the act, the school decided Monday to cancel the rest of the season. The team was 0-5 on the field and outscored 216-67 before Friday's forfeit. 

"(River Valley players) may argue that it was a joke, and they intended no harm, but the fact is that this is not only harmful, it is disgraceful," Yuba City Unified School District Superintendent Doreen Osumi wrote the Sacramento Bee. 

In a school email, Osumi wrote: "The recording clearly demonstrates that this situation was orchestrated and organized, which underscores my concern that students spent time contemplating this terrible act without the slightest regard that this action is hateful and hurtful."

This comes a week after school officials canceled a game, then the Amador-Sutter Creek football season over what was described a "disturbing" group chat with racial overtones, involving the majority of the team. Amador was in the middle of an 0-3 season after a winless 2021 campaign. 

During the same week: 

• A Southern California coach and player were suspended for their part in a postgame handshake altercation. Both teams were rushed off the field after the handshake line turned into a rowdy scrum. 

• An Orange County coach was videotaped body-slamming a 20-year-old man at a high school football game for holding a sign with explicit language on it. 

This Friday in Southern California, the focus will be largely be redirected to Santa Ana Stadium, where the nation's top two ranked teams, St. John Bosco and Mater Dei, meet in Trinity League action. The game sold out in minutes.