Dad Explains Why He Made His 4-Year-Old son Run Alongside SUV in Football 'Training' Video

What started as an impromptu football training session for Brandon Yate's 4-year-old son now has the father thinking twice about what he posts online after his parenting was called into question.

Yates, after turning onto his parent's private road in New Caney, Texas, thought he'd teach his son, Clay, a lesson after he had unbuckled his car seat yet again. He had the child hop out and run alongside the SUV, according to KSLA-TV.

Clay Yates, 4, ran alongside his dad's vehicle in what was said to be football training. But some thought it went too far. (Image source: KHOU-TV)

Yates tried to make his point fun by giving the lesson a football twist.

"You're in football training. This is how we train for football. Daddy drives and you run," Yates said in the video he posted on Facebook. "Get your little a** in shape."

The father continue pushing on his son verbally from the SUV, peppering expletives throughout.

Running eight miles an hour, Yates told the boy to "pick that s*** up."

Image source: KHOU-TV

"I'm going as fast as I can," Clay said.

"Come on, I don't want to hear your excuses. You wanna play for the Texans or the Cowboys? You wanna play for the Cowboys you better pick your s***, don't stop, run boy," Yates said.

"My hip," Clay said, stopping and holding his stomach.

Image source: KHOU-TV

"I don't care about no excuses," the dad said, proceeding to follow the boy into a driveway as he started running again. "Run or I'm gonna run your a** over."

Watch the video:

Posting the footage on Facebook in September, it has spread since with more than 33,000 shares, drawing some criticism.

According to KHOU-TV, Yates was called a child abuser and even received death threats.

Now, Yates and his wife wanted to share their side of the story.

Clay Yates' parents say he loves football. (Image source: Brandon Yates/Facebook)

"My grandmother always said [something] that everybody probably heard which is don't judge a book by its cover," Yates told KHOU. "Unfortunately, the cover was kind of hidden because I was behind the wheel."

"Clay is not in any danger," the boy's mother, Samantha Yates, told the news station. "He's not hurting. We don't abuse him or anything like that."

Watch KHOU-TV's report:

Yates questioned what the outrage to this video says about society as a whole.

"People […] jump to judgment way too soon," Yates told CNN.

"It was just a playful moment between a father and a son who just got back from watching the Cowboys get beat again and him wanting to have aspirations to play football," he continued.

Going forward, Brandon Yates said he learned his lesson about what he posts online.

"Let’s just say I won't be sharing anymore Facebook videos of my son doing any football training in Crocs," Yates told KHOU. "Next time, I'll put him in a pair of tennis shoes and I'll be running beside him or something."

(H/T: KCTV-TV)

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