Lawyer Calls Charges Against Arab Teens Over Football Violence 'Ridiculous' & 'Based on Race

There's a controversy brewing in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, after four teenagers were charged with assault and battery for injuring a young quarterback on the football field last October.

While the question of how harshly these young men should be punished is controversial enough, a lawyer representing them believes they are being targeted simply because they are Arab Americans. Others, though, claim that their crime deserves an appropriate response.

The incident occurred on the field during a game between Star Academy and Lutheran Westland High School. The four perpetrators -- Mohamed Ahmed, Fanar Al-Alsady, Hadee Attia and Ali Bajjey (all 17 years of age), students at Star, allegedly (according to the Lutheran coach who is also the victim's father) defied referees' orders and charged P.J. Guse, 15, the quarterback for Lutheran.

Press & Guide has more:

[Star Academy], which serves students mostly of Middle Eastern descent, was taking a 47-6 drubbing at the hands of Westland Lutheran and tempers flared. As Westland’s quarterback was taking a knee to run out the clock, Star players burst through the offensive line and threw him to the ground.

As a result of his injuries, P.J. was forced to head to the hospital with a grade three concussion. He inevitably missed school and suffered memory loss as well.

WXYZ-TV has more:

"I’m not siding with their conduct — we’re just saying these charges are ridiculous," said Nabih Ayad, a lawyer for the boys. "We could not find one case for high school football in Michigan where players were charged (for an on-field fight). The only thing we can conclude is that this was based on race."

While Ayad says that this is a case of discrimination and that the charges are unwarranted, both police and P.J.'s parents believe punishment should be in order. Authorities, who spent three months investigating the violence, claim that a video tape of the incident and witness testimony reinforce this conclusion.

A letter approved by both the Council on American Islamic Relations-Michigan and the NAACP has reportedly been sent to Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy. According to Ayad, the note calls for the misdemeanor charges against the boys to be dismissed.

(H/T: WXYZ.com)