The boy cheerleader whose arm was allegedly broken by bullies on the football team said today that his schoolmates are now threatening to break his other arm for telling."It's been bumpy," Ohio 11-year-old Tyler Wilson said of his return to school in a morning television exclusive interview with "Good Morning America." "People are threatening me to break my other arm because I told on them."
The boy's mother, Kristy Wilson, pressed assault charges against two boys who Tyler said broke his arm during a fight earlier this month after incessant teasing for joining the cheerleading squad.
"When the bell rang we left and we were walking home and they started picking on me," Tyler said. "It came to a point where one kid picked me up on his shoulders and slammed me onto the curb."
But neither the injury nor the threats is stopping Tyler from pursuing his passion for cheering, the boy said.
"It feels horrible that they can't accept me for who I am," Tyler told ABC News' Ohio affiliate WTVG. "It's my choice. If I want to be a cheerleader, I'm going to be a cheerleader."
Kristy Wilson, of Findlay, Ohio, said she warned her boy that he could be teased for choosing to join the cheerleading team -- which is all female -- but said she never thought it devolve so quickly.
"There's no reason for this," Wilson told "Good Morning America" as she sat next to her son wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with a message of support for Tyler. "I mean, every kid gets picked on and the name-calling I kind of understand, but to go so far as breaking somebody's arm or even just the fact that they started a fight? I don't agree with that."
Kristy Wilson said that the teasing began almost immediately, and she tried to work with Tyler on ways to handle it.
"I knew that some of the kids where teasing him, and we talked about ways to deal with that," Wilson told ABC News Monday.
"His first reaction was the tell them to shut up and get verbally combative, and I told him you have to let them know it doesn't bother you... I didn't find out until we went to the school after he was injured that things were starting to get aggressive before that fight even occurred," Wilson said.
Kristy Wilson filed a police report, but says she was shocked at what she heard when she met with Glenwood Middle School officials to discuss the incident.
"I didn't find out until we went to the school that things were starting to get aggressive before this fight occurred," Wilson said Monday.
"When I went to the school, about two days after it happened to discuss Tyler's story, the principal said there was an incident Monday and the Friday before, that the boy who started the fight had jumped on Tyler's back and tried to start a fight," she said.
Kristy Wilson said if she had known that Tyler was being physically targeted said she would have certainly stepped in to stop the situation, going as far as removing him from the school.
"I really wish the school would have let me know a lot sooner, so I could have dealt with it sooner," she said.
Lt. Charles Wilson of the Findlay Police Department told ABC News that both boys involved in the fight have been charged in youth court.
"One has been charged with felonious assault, the other with simple assault. One is a felony and one is a misdemeanor," Wilson told ABC News Monday.
"It breaks down to the injuries. The broken arm is a felony," Lt. Wilson said. The second boy was allegedly involved only as far as "kicking and hitting" Tyler, he said.
Calls into both families of the boys charged were not returned. Their names are being withheld by ABC News because they are minors.
School officials say they are can't comment specifically on any discipline involving the boys charged, but measures are being taken.
"It's an unfortunate incident and I hope, as the schools are trying to help, and I expect that they are, that the midget football and cheerleading are also taking steps," Assistant Superintendant Craig Kupferberg told ABC News Monday.
According to Wilson and Kupferberg, one of the boys involved in the fight is a player in the youth football league.
Kristy Wilson said, "The cheerleading board has shown tremendous support and contacted the football board on Tyler's behalf," however she also added that the football board has thus far not disciplined the boy involved.
She said her son will cheer against the team the boy plays for on Oct. 10.
"In the last game of season my son is cheering against his team. Tyler plans on showing up, and the cheer parents volunteered to act as a security detail," Wilson said Monday.
According to Wilson male cheerleaders from high school and colleges across the country have reached out to Tyler to lend their support, and tell him not to give up something he loves.
"He has met with quite a few male cheerleaders in high school, college and competition levels who've talked to him and told him to stick it out. They've told him he can really make a life with it, and that's what keeps telling me, he wants to use it to go to college. If that's what he chooses to do, I'm all for it," Wilson said.
"He's fighting his way through it. Everybody he's talked to, he says he is not giving up," she said.
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/exclusive-broken-arm-boy-cheerleader-threatened/story?id=11753915&page=1
The boy's mother, Kristy Wilson, pressed assault charges against two boys who Tyler said broke his arm during a fight earlier this month after incessant teasing for joining the cheerleading squad.
"When the bell rang we left and we were walking home and they started picking on me," Tyler said. "It came to a point where one kid picked me up on his shoulders and slammed me onto the curb."
But neither the injury nor the threats is stopping Tyler from pursuing his passion for cheering, the boy said.
"It feels horrible that they can't accept me for who I am," Tyler told ABC News' Ohio affiliate WTVG. "It's my choice. If I want to be a cheerleader, I'm going to be a cheerleader."
Kristy Wilson, of Findlay, Ohio, said she warned her boy that he could be teased for choosing to join the cheerleading team -- which is all female -- but said she never thought it devolve so quickly.
"There's no reason for this," Wilson told "Good Morning America" as she sat next to her son wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with a message of support for Tyler. "I mean, every kid gets picked on and the name-calling I kind of understand, but to go so far as breaking somebody's arm or even just the fact that they started a fight? I don't agree with that."
Kristy Wilson said that the teasing began almost immediately, and she tried to work with Tyler on ways to handle it.
"I knew that some of the kids where teasing him, and we talked about ways to deal with that," Wilson told ABC News Monday.
"His first reaction was the tell them to shut up and get verbally combative, and I told him you have to let them know it doesn't bother you... I didn't find out until we went to the school after he was injured that things were starting to get aggressive before that fight even occurred," Wilson said.
Kristy Wilson filed a police report, but says she was shocked at what she heard when she met with Glenwood Middle School officials to discuss the incident.
"I didn't find out until we went to the school that things were starting to get aggressive before this fight occurred," Wilson said Monday.
"When I went to the school, about two days after it happened to discuss Tyler's story, the principal said there was an incident Monday and the Friday before, that the boy who started the fight had jumped on Tyler's back and tried to start a fight," she said.
Kristy Wilson said if she had known that Tyler was being physically targeted said she would have certainly stepped in to stop the situation, going as far as removing him from the school.
"I really wish the school would have let me know a lot sooner, so I could have dealt with it sooner," she said.
Lt. Charles Wilson of the Findlay Police Department told ABC News that both boys involved in the fight have been charged in youth court.
"One has been charged with felonious assault, the other with simple assault. One is a felony and one is a misdemeanor," Wilson told ABC News Monday.
"It breaks down to the injuries. The broken arm is a felony," Lt. Wilson said. The second boy was allegedly involved only as far as "kicking and hitting" Tyler, he said.
Calls into both families of the boys charged were not returned. Their names are being withheld by ABC News because they are minors.
School officials say they are can't comment specifically on any discipline involving the boys charged, but measures are being taken.
"It's an unfortunate incident and I hope, as the schools are trying to help, and I expect that they are, that the midget football and cheerleading are also taking steps," Assistant Superintendant Craig Kupferberg told ABC News Monday.
According to Wilson and Kupferberg, one of the boys involved in the fight is a player in the youth football league.
Kristy Wilson said, "The cheerleading board has shown tremendous support and contacted the football board on Tyler's behalf," however she also added that the football board has thus far not disciplined the boy involved.
She said her son will cheer against the team the boy plays for on Oct. 10.
"In the last game of season my son is cheering against his team. Tyler plans on showing up, and the cheer parents volunteered to act as a security detail," Wilson said Monday.
According to Wilson male cheerleaders from high school and colleges across the country have reached out to Tyler to lend their support, and tell him not to give up something he loves.
"He has met with quite a few male cheerleaders in high school, college and competition levels who've talked to him and told him to stick it out. They've told him he can really make a life with it, and that's what keeps telling me, he wants to use it to go to college. If that's what he chooses to do, I'm all for it," Wilson said.
"He's fighting his way through it. Everybody he's talked to, he says he is not giving up," she said.
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/exclusive-broken-arm-boy-cheerleader-threatened/story?id=11753915&page=1
