A fifteen-year-old Michigan high school football player suffered two fractured vertebrae in his lower spine after an opponent deliberately jumped on him during a September 2025 junior varsity game, leaving him wheelchair-bound and his future athletic career in devastating uncertainty while his mother demands criminal charges against the attacking player.
Colton Mims of Lakeshore High School was viciously attacked during the third quarter of a game against Kalamazoo Central High School when video captured a much larger opposing player, wearing number 73, knocking Mims to the ground then deliberately belly-flopping his full body weight onto the defenseless teenager while he lay curled up on the turf. The horrifying incident, viewed over five million times on social media, shows the intentional nature of the assault that occurred after the play had concluded.
"I at first was like, is that my son? And as soon as it clicked that it was, I couldn't be stopped. I had to go down there. I've never felt anything like it. I've never been as upset or shaken up as I was over something for my son."
Courtney Mims, the injured player's mother, rushed onto the field after witnessing the attack and accompanied her son to the hospital where doctors diagnosed spinal fractures in two locations. The teenager was released to recover at home but remains out for the entire season with medical professionals unable to determine whether he will ever play football again. His mother initially feared he might never walk, a terrifying prospect that consumed her in the immediate aftermath of the egregious act.
The Michigan High School Athletics Association confirmed that Kalamazoo Central took "strong and decisive action" against the offending player, with disciplinary measures exceeding what regulations typically require for dangerous and unsportsmanlike behavior. However, student privacy laws prevent disclosure of specific consequences, leaving the public and Mims family frustrated by the lack of transparency about accountability for what many characterize as criminal assault rather than merely unsportsmanlike conduct.
Lakeshore Superintendent Greg Eding branded the Kalamazoo player's behavior as having "no place in student athletics," describing it as an intentional, unprovoked, and flagrant violation of rules and appropriate sports conduct. The incident sparked death threats and racist comments directed at Kalamazoo Central's coaching staff and players.
Mims returned to support his teammates before their next game, appearing in a wheelchair to emotional scenes as his fellow players rallied around him. His mother shared the moment on Facebook, praising her son as "an angel" and commending his teammates as the best example of young men she has witnessed in a long time. Several Kalamazoo Central players personally messaged Mims with apologies, distancing themselves from their teammate's violent actions.
The disturbing incident highlights escalating concerns about player safety and the potential for criminal charges in youth sports violence. These are high school boys aged fifteen whose entire lives revolve around football, according to Courtney Mims, who emphasized the need for protecting young athletes from intentional harm that can permanently destroy their futures. The family hopes Colton's injury raises awareness about dangerous plays and prompts stricter enforcement mechanisms to prevent similar attacks, though questions remain about whether school disciplinary procedures provide sufficient justice for what appears to be deliberate assault causing serious bodily harm.