Last week, a three-minute video of a Florida middle school boy being viciously beaten by one of his classmates in a locker room wen viral across social media. The smaller student was thrown to the ground then mounted by the attacker, then punched in the head multiple times. The student was left with a large cut above his right eye, according to his mother Lauren Springfield in a statement to ABC Tampa Bay. According to a Facebook post by Springfield, a teacher was actually present during the assault but did not intervene.
In response to this awful episode, Rener Gracie has reached out to the Springfield’s with an offer to sponsor a Gracie Bullyproof retreat for their whole family. In the video he references a similar incident years ago, where a bullied boy Austin McDaniel was able to train under Rener for a week to build confidence after an attack.
These incidents are always tough to watch. For many of us, we got into BJJ because of violent bullying or assault. It’s made even worse by the fact that the only adult present did nothing to help. Whether or not the family decides to accept, I hope this is their last time dealing with this type of horrible incident.
