Florida HS football player hospitalized after getting head hit with helmet, slammed into turf post-play

A high school football game between two Florida panhandle-area teams turned ugly last Friday as a post-play altercation resulted in one player being airlifted to the hospital, according to reports. He has since been discharged.

In a matchup between Blountstown and Marianna, Blountstown’s Gavin Lambeth made a fairly routine tackle in the backfield, bringing down Marianna’s Ethan Lipford. In a video of the play, Lambeth remains on top of Lipford for a moment before grabbing his facemask and repeatedly shoving Lipford’s head back into the turf.

After Lipford’s helmet came off, Lambeth can be seen hitting Lipford in the face and head with the helmet a number of times. According to WMBB, Lipford couldn’t walk or talk in the immediate aftermath of his injuries. He has since been treated for a concussion and has been discharged from Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare, where he was airlifted.

Marianna coach Jack Glover told WMBB he has simply happy his player is OK.

Lambeth was ejected from the game and will get an automatic one-game suspension, but it remains to be seen if the Florida High School Athletic Association will add on a further punishment.

Article 7, Section 2.1 of the FHSAA bylaws lay out the scope of “unsportsmanlike conduct,” which can carry a penalty of being banned from competition for a calendar year or more.

“Unsportsmanlike conduct” is defined as such: “A student who commits an act of malicious and hateful nature toward a contest official, an opponent or any other person attending an athletic contest shall be guilty of unsportsmanlike conduct. Such acts may include, but are not limited to, profanity, striking or threatening a contest official; physical contact with an opponent which is beyond the normal scope of competition; spitting on a contest official or opponent; directing gender, racial or ethnic slurs toward a contest official, an opponent or any other person attending an athletic contest; or other such acts deemed to be unacceptable conduct according to the principal of the member school the student attends or this Association.”

There is also a process for a student to appeal and regain their eligibility in Florida.

Article 7, Section 2.1.2 spells out the method: “The Executive Director, the Sectional Appeals Committee, or the Board of Directors on appeal, may restore the student’s eligibility prior to the end of the penalty period, when in the discretion of the Executive Director, the student has been properly disciplined, and the student signs a written statement of his/her intention to comply with these standards in the future.”