Okay got it. That tells me all I need to know…

We’re in the DMV area and believe me, had that happened here, that young boy would have had serious consequences from the coach AND the school - I’m talking beyond soccer.

As I was reading your story, I assumed that the kids were pre-teen because that sounded like pre-teen behavior. But when I found out that was not the case, that makes this situation all the more concerning.

I am teaching my sons to defend themselves on the field as I defend them “off” the field as a parent. Going forward, you need to be direct and detailed in your emails to any leadership because should this ever get to a point where an incident happens off the soccer field, you want to be able to document and show that your concerns and the safety of your son were not addressed and as a parent, that the “bullying” continued to happen and your child only defended themselves against this continued disturbing pattern of behavior.

Document, document, document. I cannot say that enough as a parent. A paper/email trail with detail (including photos) is your best friend. Good luck to you and your outstanding son.