High school quarterback suspended for ’inappropriately touching’ center during snap

An Oregon high school quarterback has been suspended from classes after officials claim he "inappropriately touched" another player while taking a snap during football practice.

Garrett Moore, a quarterback on West Salem High School freshman team, was handed a three-day suspension and was sent home from school with a written referral that read "Student inappropriately touched another student during football practice."

According to the Statesman Journal, Moore said that he was instructed by coaches to take a snap from a center who said "he wanted me to go way up there [with my hands] and it felt very uncomfortable."

The center was a player with whom Moore had problems, including pushing him to the ground earlier in practice.

"I was, like, moving my hands and I touched him and he started laughing," explained Moore. "I guess I tickled him. I wouldn't mean to. That's kind of weird."

He says that center moved to the defensive line after a few plays and the regular center came back. 

The group ran a play and the player who had previously played center walked toward him after the play.

"He acted like he was giving me a hug and he kneed me in my crotch," Moore said. "He said that he did that because I spat on his shoe, even though he was five feet in front of me."

Four days following the Oct. 2 incident, Moore said he was called from class to the assistant principal's office to talk about ongoing problems with other players.

While there, he told assistant principal Jim Miller about what happened before he was sent back to class.

The center was then called into the office and allegedly recounted a different version of what happened before Moore was called back into the office, this time was escorted by a security guard, and was asked if he had tickled the center while taking the snap.

"I'm like, I guess,''' Moore said. "He was laughing when I touched him. I didn't mean to say tickle. I said tickle because he laughed."

Moore said Miller then called his mother, making "it sound like I'm a complete pervert" before she came to pick him up from school, reported the Statesman Journal.

His mother, Tamara Moore, called the incident "absolutely absurd" and said that she plans to appeal the suspension to the Salem-Keizer director of high schools.

School officials would not say whether the other player was disciplined for striking Moore.