A Florida woman has been arrested for allegedly kicking a child playing Pop Warner youth football, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
A Facebook post from the law enforcement agency said that 34-year-old Renee Lambert of Fort Myers, Fla., was arrested for cruelty towards a child-abuse without great bodily harm and resisting an officer on Saturday. She was released Sunday afternoon, according to sheriff’s office records.
“Detail deputies assigned to Brooks Park were made aware of an altercation on the football field,” during a Pop Warner youth game, the post said. “Video shows two teams involved in a physical altercation following a play when Renee Lambert storms the field and begins kicking a player.”
Gulf Coast News reported that the player was 13 years old.
Deputies located Lambert and detained her. Per the sheriff’s office, she allegedly claimed that a child “hit her with a helmet prompting her to fight back.”
In a video posted by the sheriff’s department, Lambert can be heard saying: “I’m the one who got hit.”
“A kid? You’re an adult,” a deputy could be heard saying when she asked him to find “number nine,” and pointed towards the field.
Authorities said her claim that a child hit her with a helmet was “disproven.” The video posted by the sheriff’s department also shows an apparent struggle to detain and handcuff Lambert as she called for her son.
“You’re ruining the game for the kids that they love so much that they spend their time, their week, their hours, everything they got coming out here to play on one Saturday for an hour and a half,” said Kurtis Jones, a man who caught the incident on video, according to Gulf Coast News. Other parents cited by the outlet said this is not the first time Lambert has been aggressive at a game.
Parental misbehavior at sporting events is nothing new, according to two past surveys.
A survey of 2,000 youth sports parents and coaches conducted by Liberty Mutual Insurance in 2014 found that 16% of parents said they had witnessed a physical confrontation between parents and that two in five coaches had experienced parents yelling negatively at others’ kids.
“Further, 75% of parents and coaches say that teaching sportsmanship is the responsibility of parents,” said Liberty Mutual.
The 2023 National Officiating Survey from the National Association of Sports Officials also found that parents were identified as the leading cause of problems with sportsmanship at nearly 40%. Coaches came in second at around 25%.
“It’s sad that children playing sports becomes a physical confrontation. We need to have law and order. We need to protect everyone. So as sheriff, I’m not going to tolerate it,” said Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno, according to Gulf Coast News.
The Fort Myers Falcons released a statement regarding the incident, Gulf Coast News added.
“The Fort Myers Falcons Youth Football Organization is aware of the incident that occurred during a recent game involving players, parents, and spectators,” it said. “We want to be clear: we do not condone violence, disorderly conduct, or inappropriate behavior from student-athletes, parents, coaches, or supporters under any circumstances.”
It also stressed that adults at games should lead by example and said that Lambert has been banned from all Fort Myers Falcons events and activities.
“We fully support law enforcement as they investigate this matter and will cooperate with any review,” said the organization. “We remain committed to reinforcing sideline expectations and ensuring this program continues to be a positive and structured environment for our young athletes.”
Records from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office indicate that a Circuit Court hearing for Lambert has been scheduled for June 1.
