MEDINA, N.Y. (WKBW) — What began as an act of good sportsmanship, turned into outrage following a little league football game.
On Saturday, Akron Youth Football teams played against Medina Youth Football teams in Medina.
A video, shared dozens of times on Facebook, shows cheerleaders, walking off the football field, visibly upset and holding their arm.
"I look up and I see my daughter and she was she was crying and I could see that her arm was red, like beet red," said Erin Behm, a mother of an Akron Youth Junior Varsity Cheerleading team.
Behm's daughter showed her arm, which Behm said had a red handprint on it.
"I didn't really believe it and next thing you know all these girls are crying," said Behm.
Behm said after the football game, the cheerleaders went to shake hands with the Medina football players which is when she believes a Medina player or players slapped the girls.
"It still makes me emotional," Behm said in tears.
What happened has other Akron parents like Jillian Vaillancourt upset.
"It's like ten minutes after she was slapped and she still had a definite red handprint and I mean it stayed there for about 30 minutes after," said Vaillancourt.
Vaillancourt said she has two young girls on the cheerleading team, but only one got slapped. She said her daughter had a similar red handprint on her arm.
"I think there's a huge apology that needs to be made," she said.
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Parents in that area are now demanding action and answers for what happened to their 10 and 11 year-old daughters.
Some even signed a petition, which is asking for the Medina team to forfeit for the 2022 season because of "assault and un-sportsman like conduct" according to the petition description.
"They need to somehow figure out who it was or how many it was," said Vaillancourt.
Parents of Akron Youth JV cheerleaders are upset after they say Medina football players slapped the girls as they shook hands on Saturday.
— Kristen Mirand (@kristen_mirand) September 20, 2022
You can see some of the 10/11 year-olds walk off the field holding their arms, visibly upset. @WKBW
(🎥: Jillian Villiancourt) pic.twitter.com/YB0spmgem8
7 News did reach out to Akron Little League president, Stacie Waddell, but she had no comment. 7 News also reached out to Niagara-Orleans Football Association, NOFA, and Medina LOYAL Football and Cheerleading for comment, but have not heard back.
"The entire team needs to be held accountable because that's how you build a team," said Behm.
Both organizations have no affiliation with either school district.
"Something has to be done," said Vaillancourt.
A meeting to discuss this issue with Akron parents and the little league is set for Tuesday night. NOFA is holding a meeting as well.
Parent like Behm said they want to see swift action so nothing like this happens again.
"No child should ever have to endure what our girls had to endure," said Behm.
