Utah students kicked off football team for video of burning Pride flag

Two Utah high school football players were kicked off football team after a social media post allegedly showed an LGBTQ flag being set on fire while someone made threatening comments. 

The players were indefinitely suspended from the team at Kearns High School near Salt Lake City, Utah after the Snapchat video surfaced last week, Fox 13 reported.

The video, reportedly posted by one of the players, showed someone lighting the flag on fire while laughing. Another voice is heard saying “all gays die.” The suspended other player reposted the clip.{mosads}

Matt Rickards, the team’s head coach, said the video “sickens” him and could potentially classify as a hate crime.

“Our number one goal is to build men of character, integrity, be responsible, have empathy for others and serve the community for good. That’s our number one objective,” Rickards said.

The Granite School District told the local outlet that officials are still determining the proper punishment for the students, which could include community service or school suspension.

The school said the video is being considered cyberbullying.

“We want to make sure every student who walks through our doors feels safe and secure in the environment that they’re in,” said district spokesman Ben Horsley. “Whether it was done intentionally with a threat in mind or for humor’s sake, it’s inappropriate. And we’re going to address it in a very serious fashion.”