High school students awarded college scholarships for carrying flags onto football field on 9/11
FILE: People wave thin blue line flags while they attend a Back the Blue rally in support of police departments in Quincy, MA. (Photo by Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
LITTLE MIAMI, Ohio - Two Ohio high school students have been awarded scholarships after being briefly suspended from their football team for carrying flags onto the field during a game on September 11.
The Little Miami students, Brady Williams and Jarad Bentley, had been told by the school district to not bring flags on the field. But they did it anyway.
Williams, who is the son of a sheriff’s deputy, carried a “Thin Blue Line flag” and Bentley, who is the son of a fireman, carried a “Thin Red Line Flag” onto the field. The school later suspended Williams and Bentley from the team.
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On Tuesday, the Little Miami Board of Education said it understood the students’ desire to “show their support of our first responders on the anniversary of 9/11” but because they did not obtain permission from school officials to bring flags onto the field, they had been suspended.
Despite the students’ “insubordination,” the board concluded that their actions had not been politically motivated and overturned their suspension.
“Moving forward, Little Miami is returning the players to active status and this matter will be addressed as an Athletic Department Code of Conduct issue, with any potential consequences to be handled by coaching staff,” the board said in a statement.
Related: Ohio school district bans ‘thin blue line’ flags after football player carried one to honor coach
On Friday, a local non-profit group called “Holiday for Heroes” said it is awarding Williams and Bentley a scholarship for their statement, WJAC-TV reported.
“Brady and Jarad are true PATRIOTS, they did something last Friday that showed they are far beyond their years,” the group said. “These men stood up for a cause they believe in. As they took the field with flags in hand it reminded us how we felt 19 years ago, heartbroken yet strong and united.”
The group has not disclosed how much the scholarships will be worth.