People Invited To Kneel With Youth Football Team

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- People are being asked to join the Woodland Hills Junior Football Team Sunday in kneeling.

The team is at the center of some controversy, after Woodland Hills head coach Marcus Burkley posted to Facebook saying his team was subjected to racial slurs during a game against Bethel Park. The Bethel Park Junior Football Board said they could not support these claims.

In a statement sent to KDKA, event organizer Shanon Williams said: "The three players on Woodland Hills' team took a knee in protest of police brutality, a now common symbol of protest against the crime, last Sunday at Bethel Park's home field and in response, they were bombarded with racial slurs from both Bethel Park attendees and players, bad calls on the field, and harassment at the concession stand also by Bethel Park attendees."

In response, she says people are invited to "show support and solidarity" during Sunday's game at 6:30 p.m. in Turtle Creek.

"We ask that you come and support these young men at their game and kneel with them in solidarity and support of their stand against police brutality," the Facebook event reads.

The event page can be viewed here.  Several dozen people have marked they will attend, with hundreds of others marked as interested.

"The group hopes that the appropriate Bethel Park officials take ownership of the occurrence and participate in the various initiatives to help heal both communities, including mediation between the two teams, culture and diversity forums, and guided discussions on race and current events to name a few," she wrote.

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