Youth Football Coach Demands To See 9-Year-Old Player's Birth Certificate After He Scores Multiple Touchdowns
He didn't believe that the player could be a child.
Lopolo / Shutterstock As a young football player was dominating the game and having the time of his life, the coach from the opposing team decided to put a halt to his fun after he suspected the player of cheating.
Thankfully, his mother had solid proof of her son’s innocence, and others in the stands could not help but cheer during the monumental moment.
The youth football coach refused to believe that a player on the opposite team was actually a child since his own team was losing against them.
A TikTok video posted by Tammy Marie McCormic (@tammymariemccormic) depicted a championship youth football game, where most of the players appeared to be between nine and 10 years old. However, one player, Jackson, stood out from the rest of his teammates due to his 5'6" height.
During the third quarter of the game, the young boy’s team had the lead, with a score of 20 - 0, mostly due to Jackson.
It was then that the coach of the opposing team demanded actual proof that Jackson was nine years old, assuming that he was much older because of his height.
The game was paused until his definite age could be proven. Thankfully, his mother came to the rescue.
The player’s mother showed the coach her son’s birth certificate to confirm that he was nine years old.
Spectators cheered on Jackson’s mother as she marched across the stands and to the field with the birth certificate in hand.
Photo: soupstock / Canva Pro
As the coach looked over the paper to verify Jackson’s age, people could be heard chanting his name in the stands.
Most people knew that it was not solely just Jackson who was carrying his team to victory, despite his size. “One player isn’t beating the whole team, it’s the team as a whole!” Tammy pointed out in the text overlay of the video.
However, she added that age verification checks in youth football happen often with tall kids. Other parents shared their own experiences with their children’s ages questioned.
“Yes, ma’am! Had to carry two card-sized birth certificates for my two oldest. Went on to become college linemen!” one TikTok user commented. “This was MY brother, Jackson! He’s 6’8 and 360 pounds. He was 5’11 at 10 … my mom had to take his birth certificate everywhere!” another user shared.
“Felt this mama! So proud of you!! My baby is 7th grade and 6’3” he’s always been this kid and I’ve always kept it [the birth certificate] in my purse! It’s our badge of honor!” another wrote.
When signing up for youth football, players’ ages are documented before they are even assigned to a team to ensure that they are only playing with or against others in their age group. Otherwise, there would be a higher risk of injuries and unfair advantages.
However, not all of us grow and develop the same way, and some kids just happen to be taller than others.
They may as well use it to their advantage and act on their athletic abilities!
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.