St. Martin youth basketball board suspends season after parking lot brawl

ST. MARTIN, Miss. (WLOX) - St. Martin Youth Basketball is canceled for the rest of the season.

It comes after a fight this weekend involving parents and spectators. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said the brawl involved four to five people in the parking lot of St. Martin Middle School around 9 a.m. on Saturday.

The St. Martin Youth Basketball Board released a statement saying there were multiple occasions where coaches, parents, board members, officials and children saw people trading insults, punches, and even racial slurs.

No arrests were ever made and no weapons were found.

Concerns for the safety of the players led to the decision to cancel the remainder of practices and games.

WLOX spoke to a board member who said they do not take this decision lightly, and they wouldn’t have made the decision to suspend the season if they didn’t think it was a safety concern for everyone involved.

One parent said it’s unfair to the kids who have been looking forward to finishing their season, but he was upset when he learned about the fight.

“I think it’s unfortunate. It’s not fair for the youngsters to miss out on the rest of their season,” said Derrick Ladner. “I think they worked very hard to prep for the season, they should at least finish it out. It’s unsettling as a parent and even as a coach. For stuff like that to happen around young children. For children around five to six years old, I don’t think that’s appropriate for that age. It’s all about having fun at that point.”

The St. Martin Youth Basketball Board is not affiliated with the school district.

The closing ceremony is also canceled. Coaches will assign times for players to pick up their awards.

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