Suspension lifted for Ohio football players who carried police, fire flags on field

Two Ohio high school football players suspended from their team after carrying flags onto the field honoring police officers and firefighters have been reinstated.

Brady Williams carried a thin blue line flag and fellow senior Jarad Bentley carried a thin red line flag, according to WKRC. The flags are used to show support for police and fire officials, respectively.

They asked for permission from school officials to wave the flags before Little Miami High School’s Sept. 11 game, but they were denied, FOX 19 reported.

“Little Miami Local Schools is saddened to see this story take such a negative turn,” the Cincinnati-area school said in a statement to FOX 19. “While we understand these students’ desire to show their support of our first responders, they did not obtain permission from district officials. Administrators must act when students break the rules.

Little Miami Superintendent Gregory Power initially told WKRC the flags could represent a political point of view, but the players’ brief suspension ended Tuesday following an investigation.

“The results show that there were no political motivations behind this display of support for first responders on 9/11, but there were stances of insubordination,” said Bobbie Grice, president of the local school board, FOX 19 reported.

The school district reportedly said the American flag and the Little Miami spirit flag will be the only ones that will come through the football tunnel in the future.

Williams, whose father is a police officer, and Bentley, whose father is a firefighter, said they carried the flags to honor first responders who died on Sept. 11, 2001, according to WKRC.

“I don’t care what my consequences are. As long as my message gets across, I’ll be happy,” Williams told the station.

The school memorialized 9/11 victims with its Patriot Night program prior to Friday’s game, according to FOX 19.

More than 19,000 people signed a Change.org petition calling for the school to drop the students’ suspension. With the players reinstated, the petition claimed a “victory.”

A rally in support of the players was planned for the school’s game on Sept. 25. It’s unclear if that will still take place with the players reinstated.

“We plan to meet at a nearby, central location, with our flags flying to show support for these gentleman,” the Facebook event states. “If they are not allowed to honor the country’s hero’s, we will do it for them.”

The incident at Little Miami mirrors that of another Ohio high school. The thin blue line flag is now banned from Chardon High School after football players carried it onto the field before a game, McClatchy News reported.

The superintendent of the school district said it is banned because the flag could be seen as “racially motivated.”

The thin blue line flag has become polarizing as Black Lives Matter protests have engulfed the country. The flag is used as a symbol for the Blue Lives Matter group, which is in support of police officers.

This story was originally published September 15, 2020 at 11:35 AM.