ABC-7 obtains video of ugly Andress-Jefferson soccer fight

ABC-7 has obtained the video behind one the most talked about stories of the year so far.

Punches thrown at the Andress and Jefferson soccer match. Now viewers can see the brawl for themselves before passing judgement.

ABC-7 got the video from a parent of an Andress player. The Eagles were wearing black. The Jefferson Foxes were in white.

With accusations coming from both sides ABC-7 wanted you to see how it started and why.

“It was very ugly to see,” the Andress parent, who brought us the video, but wanted to remain anonymous.

The fight quickly escalated, going on several minutes before order was restored.

Jefferson junior Edgar Perez, who appears to respond to some rough play with a punch, had his jaw broken.

“It’s very sad that this kid was injured, but he’s the one that initiated the fight,” the parent said.

“I’m so sorry for the child that got hurt,” said another Andress parent, whose son was involved in the fight. “That could have been my kid (that got his jaw broken).”

The father of Andress player, Joseph Ellington, No. 12 in the video, who got tangled up with Perez at the start of the fight, also did not want his face revealed. He had this to say about his son’s actions: “My son was playing defense, but the child elbowed him twice and then my son pushed him away. He punched my son first and my son did fight back.”

Both parents had concerns about what they called a “lack” of security at the Tuesday night game.

“To me, if they had controlled that crowd, this never would have happened,” one parent said.

He added that two players received red card ejections during the first half, leaving the crowd heated.

“Jefferson it’s very unsafe because they sit their fans on the same side,” he said. “It’s just an unsafe environment, because you’re putting two teams on the same side, parents and kids.”

“There was a lot of cussing and profanity being used,” the other parent said. “Had we had more security, I don’t think it would have led to this.”

EPISD officials issued this statement: “It is the practice of EPISD to have one school administrator and either one security guard or EPISD police officer at all athletic events … EPISD feels comfortable that the rules we have used for years are effective. We will continue to use these practices and make case-by-case changes as necessary.”

“I hope it never happens again,” the Andress parent said. “I hope it’s a learning lesson for everyone.”

Twelve players in all, six from each team, were suspended for three games, including next month’s rematch between Andress and Jefferson. One Andress player, the one believed to cause the injuries to Perez’s face, has been kicked off the team.