A Gilchrist County juvenile football coach was arrested on two misdemeanor charges during a disagreement at a Branford team practice.
Around 3 p.m. on Saturday, two Gilchrist-Suwannee Valley League youth football teams prepared to play at Branford High School. Parents at the practice claim that a Gilchrist Lighting assistant coach and a Branford fan got into a fight. Francis Kealey, the head coach of Gilchrist Lighting, was arrested by an off-duty Suwanee County deputy.
The assistant coach and Branford fan were not detained, but Kealey was charged with criminal trespass and resisting arrest. Concerned parents took to Facebook on Saturday night after footage of the arrest began circulating. Some parents who witnessed the argument believe Kealey was wrongly arrested.
“This big guy comes up and picks up our coach and body slams him,” said Mikki Rain, a parent at the game. “Body slams him into the ground so hard I can feel it.” Other parents claimed the off-duty Suwannee County Deputy did not identify himself. “Face pushed into the ground, placed in handcuffs, and our coach is wondering, like, who are you?” according to Breann Downing. “He continued saying, ‘Who are you? Who are you?’ He says, ‘You have not defined yourself. “I’m not sure who you are,” said parent Breann Downing.
