A Wisconsin father accused of tripping a 9-year-old football player as the child appeared headed for a touchdown told police he acted on impulse when he ran onto the field and interfered with the play, newly released bodycam footage shows.
Terrence Bradshaw, a Milwaukee Colts supporter, drew alarm from parents after the incident at Case High School in Racine, Wisconsin, on Aug. 22. Officers later found him about a half-mile from the field during a traffic stop.
Bradshaw, 41, acknowledged what happened when Mount Pleasant Police Officer Nicole Knierim questioned him shortly after 11 a.m., according to body camera video obtained by WISN.
“You went out on the field?” Officer Nicole Knierim asked.
“I went out on the field,” Bradshaw replied.
“And what did you do when you went out on the field?” the officer asked as Bradshaw searched through his wallet, apparently looking for his driver’s license.
“I was like, trying to stop one of the kids out there on the field,” he said.
“There were just some bigger kids than my kid and I got impulsive. And I apologized to the whole team already. I apologized to the coach.”
“I mean, it’s kids. Kids!” a stunned Knierim hit back.
Bradshaw, who was charged with disorderly conduct, then raised concerns about his son’s welfare as he tried to defend himself over the now-viral video.
“My son broke his arm twice already, so when I saw him flip like that it,” he said.
“I was trying to really stop the game to say that can’t happen. And it just created a whole mess.”
Bradshaw sensationally claimed that he and the Case Eagles player both slid when he was explicitly asked whether he kicked the boy.
“We slid together,” he claimed. “I was trying to stop him, but he was already running so we slid.”
Knierim and her colleague, who hasn’t been identified, considered the claims and determined that a disorderly conduct citation was warranted.
“I’m more mad at myself than anything else right now,” the dad told officers.
Bradshaw’s actions sparked widespread outrage – not only from the boy’s coach but also online.
“I was filled with anger, it was disgusting,” Eagles head coach Channing Schultz told CBS58, reacting to the trip as he feared the boy could’ve been seriously hurt.
“The way he kicked my little guy. His leg could’ve broke. His shin could’ve broke.”
Online critics called for the dad to be hit with more serious charges – potentially attempted battery.
“The elements were not met, specifically for bodily harm,” a Mount Pleasant police spokesperson told WISN.
Parents are still furious that Bradshaw escaped more serious penalties.
“To me it’s assault, especially assault against a child,” Claire Bernal, a witness, told WISN.
“It’s not, you know, someone of your own stature like you assaulted a child. I think this person should be held legally responsible.”
Bradshaw will avoid a court date if he pays a $313 fine.
