Sheriff investigating pepper spray incident at Tennessee high school football game

TSSAA also looking into the incident which reported occurred at last Friday's Oakland at Blackman game
Blackman's Ethan Carson (1) carries an American flag onto the field as they players run onto the field before the start of the football game against Oakland at Blackman, on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. The TSSAA and the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office are both investigating an alleged pepper spray incident that took place during the game.
Blackman's Ethan Carson (1) carries an American flag onto the field as they players run onto the field before the start of the football game against Oakland at Blackman, on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. The TSSAA and the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office are both investigating an alleged pepper spray incident that took place during the game. / HELEN COMER/The Daily News Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

WKRN.com in Nashville has reported that the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) and the Rutherford County Sherriff's Office are both investigating an alleged pepper spray incident that took place last Friday at Blackman High School while Blackman was hosting Oakland High School.

No details about who may have been pepper sprayed or how it possibly occurred, but the TSSAA did acknowledge, to WKRN, that it has requested statements from both schools on the matter.

"We are then expecting a report and any discipline actions from TSSAA later this week," said a statement from Rutherford County Schools. "We will consider any additional steps based on that report."

The same spokesperson told WKRN that the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office is assisting with a crominal investigation of that matter. The sheriff's office, however, refused to offer further details because of the ongoing nature of the investigation.

Oakland defeated Blackman in the football game, 13-12.


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Gary Adornato

GARY ADORNATO

Gary Adornato began covering high school sports with the Baltimore Sun in 1982, while still a mass communications major at Towson University, and in 2003 became one of the first journalists to cover high school sports online while operating MIAASports.com, the official website of the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association. Later, Adornato pioneered market-wide coverage of high school sports with DigitalSports.com, introducing video highlights and player interviews while assembling an award-winning editorial staff. In 2010, he launched VarsitySportsNetwork.com which became the premier source of high school media coverage in the state of Maryland. In 2022, he sold VSN to The Baltimore Banner and joined SBLive Sports as the company's East Coast Managing Editor.