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High School Basketball Player Apologizes for Attacking Ref

"When I saw it I thought wow that's not me. It's shocking."

The high school basketball player who body slammed a referee after being kicked out of a game has apologized for the incident. But despite the remorse, 18-year-old Mason Holland he could still face criminal charges:

From WINK:

"I worked at it harder than anything in my life and having it taken away from me is a hard feeling," said Holland describing how he felt after he was kicked off the Desoto County High School basketball team.

During a game, Holland received a technical foul. Then he pushed another player. The referee kicked Holland out of the game.  Holland reacted by "clotheslining" the referee taking the 51 year old man completely to the ground.

The video was posted to YouTube.

"When I saw it I thought wow that's not me. It's shocking," said Holland describing seeing the video of his actions, "I didn't know at the time on the court. I didn't feel I knew what I was going to do. It just happened. I couldn't control it."

"You realize you could have really hurt this gentleman?" asked chief investigator Melissa Yeager.

"Right, right. Hopefully..I hope he's ok. I think he just needed ice for his wrist but my intention was not to hurt him," replied Holland, "I didn't do it to impress nobody. It just happened...to me it was part of the game."

Holland says he knows his game time decision hurt a lot of people.

"I feel like I let the team down and I let my coach down and the community down," said Holland.

Holland also wants to apologize to the referee.

"What happened on the court wasn't acceptable. Wasnt' me and I just want to apologize to everyone," said Holland.

Holland could also face criminal charges. The sheriff's department has turned the case over to the state attorney's office for review.

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