One of the two University of South Carolina players seen on video being elbowed and yelled at by a Texas State Trooper during a game at Texas A&M last month has filed a criminal complaint against the officer.
South Carolina player Oscar Adaway III is accusing the trooper of assault in a December 12 filing in Brazos County, Texas, according to the Washington Post.
Video taken during the game shows Gamecocks players coming onto the field from the tunnel as a Texas Trooper enters the area. The Trooper pushes between two players who were walking close together, then turns, points at them, and begins yelling at them.
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The officer was quickly removed from the stadium and sent home, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
“The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is aware of the incident that occurred today during the Texas A&M football game,” the DPS said in a statement. “The DPS Trooper involved was sent home from the game. Our Office of Inspector General (OIG) is also aware of the incident and will be further looking into the matter. No additional information will be released at this time.”
Despite removing the trooper from the stadium, the Texas DPS has never publicly named the officer seen in the video. This fact makes Adaway’s attorney, B. Keith Jackson, doubt that the Brazos County DA will move forward with any charges.
“The blue wall is a real thing as it relates to protecting their own, in this part of the country, more so than others. I do think there’s a good chance they bring charges, only because of the video that was shown across the country that shows there was an assault committed,” Jackson said.
The player’s father has blasted the trooper.
“They slowed it down, and you could see where Oscar tries to step out of his way, and the man steps into Oscar,” Adaway’s father said. “You just bullied my kid ’cause you got a damn badge on.”
Mr. Adaway also said he worried that Texas Troopers might target him and his family on the road as they drove back to Arkansas after the game. He added that he avoided the highways that weekend and took backroads to get back to Arkansas, just in case Texas troopers were lying in wait.
“My son does not have issues with authority,” the player’s father added. “And this is what makes someone have an issue with authority. It’s going to scare the hell out of you or make you hate them, or both.”
The elder Adaway also said that after losing his daughter to suicide, any disrespect to his remaining children is keenly felt.
“After the loss of one child, it made me become more of a shield, a protector,” he said. “Don’t even raise your voice at one of them — I’m on it. This guy who pushed my son took an oath. He’s supposed to protect and serve the people.”
The player says he has lost sleep over the incident.
“You see this sort of thing on TV — different scenarios of police bullying people here and there — but you never feel it and understand it until you’re actually in the situation,” he said.
Ultimately, South Carolina athletic director Jeremiah Donati said he does not blame Texas A&M.
“We know the staff and game day operations team at Texas A&M work extremely hard to provide a safe environment for student-athletes and fans,” Donati said. “We appreciate their communication and immediate action taken following the incident that took place.
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