Nov 21, 2006 5:42 pm US/Central
Coach Charged In Pee Wee Football Melee
CORPUS CHRISTI (AP) ―
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On Nov. 4, two Pee Wee football teams were going head-to-head at a field in Corpus Christi. The kids, age five and six, watched as coach Robert Watson began arguing with 18-year-old referee Marc Benavides.
A coach in a videotaped Pee Wee football brawl was charged with misdemeanor assault Tuesday, prosecutors said.
An amateur video shows Robert Watson, 39, charging onto a field and tackling an 18-year-old referee. The video goes on to show a mob of parents surrounding them in a melee.
Assistant District Attorney James Sales said prosecutors had been waiting for photos relating to the brawl from the Corpus Christi Police Department.
"You always like to see the injury," he said. "Basically, it's a black eye."
The video, taken during a Nov. 4 Super Bowl game of 5- and 6-year-old players, drew worldwide attention after it was broadcast over the Internet.
Police have said several people filed reports saying the fight was apparently caused by the coach's cursing. A police official has said that when the referee ejected the coach, the coach rushed the field.
The coach has said he was defending himself because the referee attacked him.
"My attorney said right now we're just waiting before we publicly say anything," he said Tuesday.
Mark Benavides, the referee, could not immediately be reached for comment.
The misdemeanor charge is punishable by up to one year in jail and a $4,000 fine.
(© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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