Details Emerge on Ammon Bundy and the Canceled High School Football Game
By Greg Pruett • October 4, 2020More details are emerging after Friday night’s Caldwell High School football game against Emmett High School which school officials ended at halftime with Emmett leading the game 35-0.
The Idaho Statesman, says the game was canceled at halftime because of threats called into 911. Idaho Dispatch reached out to the Caldwell Police Department for comment on the alleged calls and what specific threats were put out against the school. The law enforcement agency has not yet responded to our request.
It’s also possible Caldwell High School officials called off the game at halftime due to a dispute with Ammon Bundy over the face mask issue.
Bundy, whose son plays for Emmett High School, refused to wear a mask when asked to do so prior to entering the stadium.
Bundy told the Idaho Dispatch that after the school refused him entry for not wearing a mask, his kids and his in-laws that were with him walked over to the fence outside the stadium. He said that he had also offered to pay to watch from outside the fence but the individuals running the ticket booth would not take his money.
He also told Idaho Dispatch that he had been to several away games already this year and this was the first time he was denied entry for not wearing a face mask. Bundy said that he was not expecting to have any issues going into Caldwell High School to watch his son play and that he was unaware they had such a policy in place.
While the Southwest Idaho Health District, which oversees the Coronavirus response for Canyon County, has not mandated masks in Caldwell, the school district has. The school’s policy requires fans to wear masks on school property, even when adhering to social distancing guidelines.
In addition to our discussion with Bundy, Idaho Dispatch also spoke with the parents of one Caldwell High School student who plays on the football team and was in attendance for the game against Emmett. They wished to remain anonymous for fear of retribution against their child.
The parents told Idaho Dispatch that during the game, parents and other spectators were required to don face masks for the duration of the football game. They said the school also deployed staffers to secure mask compliance from parents and fans.
Bundy, meanwhile, never gained entry to the match. Instead, he watched the game from outside the stadium’s perimeter, which is guarded by a chain-link fence.
During the ordeal, Bundy posted several live videos on Facebook at the time detailing what was happening at the game and the location of these videos is outside the perimeter fence and next to the main parking lot at Caldwell High School.
In one video, Bundy is seen talking to the Emmett High School football coach Rich Hargitt who was inside the stadium and not wearing a mask. Idaho Dispatch has not yet determined if coaches, players, and staff members are exempt from the mask-wearing mandate during games.
During the exchange, Bundy informs Hargitt that the Caldwell Police Department wouldn’t physically enforce the school’s mask mandate.
Hargitt then informs Bundy that the game was going to be “called off” because the superintendent “wants something done” but the coach does not clarify what the Caldwell superintendent may have meant.
Bundy also says in the video that if they do cancel the game that it is worth it in the fight for freedom and asks the coach when he is going to stand up for freedom. The conversation only lasts for approximately a minute and a half before the coach walks away.
Bundy told Idaho Dispatch that the conversation with the coach was at halftime. Shortly after that conversation, the game was called.
A separate Facebook video shows spectators coming out of the stadium, some heckling Bundy. This is the last video that was posted by Bundy while he was at the game.
Later in the evening, the Caldwell School Superintendent Facebook page issued the following statement:
Idaho Dispatch sent several follow up questions about their statement.
In particular, the statement claims that the “visitors” became “disruptive” and Idaho Dispatch wants to understand why the school district believes Bundy’s actions were disruptive to the game and spectators.
From the videos Idaho Dispatch has witnessed so far, Bundy and his family members appear to be standing outside the fence and not interacting with anyone other than each other or school officials or police officers who approached them. The videos that are posted do not show Bundy disrupting the game or fans.
The Caldwell Police Department did not arrest or cite Bundy for any disturbance. The police do tell Bundy in one of his videos that if they school files trespassing charges that they are not going to physically remove him but they will file the paperwork for the charges. No mention is made from the police officers in the video that Bundy is being a disturbance to the game or to the fans.
Idaho Dispatch asked Bundy specifically if at any point when he and his family walked over to watch the game at the chainlink fence, did they go back and talk to anyone else. Bundy told us that he went back to the ticket booth one time to try and pay for his group standing outside the fence and the individual working at the ticket booth refused to take their money.
Idaho Dispatch asked the anonymous parents from Caldwell if they saw what was happening outside the fence Bundy and his family.
The parents informed Idaho Dispatch they did not know and that no one in the stands seemed to know what was happening. Additionally, the parents told us that it was difficult to see anything outside of the stadium because of the bright lights that are used to light up the field. It was these parent’s opinions that the crowd was focused on the game.
The parents Idaho Dispatch spoke with said that they had no idea Ammon was outside the fence until they were leaving the game.
The Caldwell parents Idaho Dispatch spoke with said they did not see or hear of any disturbances during the game.
The parents told Idaho Dispatch that they had seen the principal go up to the press box just before halftime but did not know exactly why she was there.
Then, at halftime, just as the band finished playing, the parents said someone came on the loudspeaker and told the spectators that the game was canceled due to a “safety concern.” They said that the announcer had urgency in his statement. The announcer also said to make sure that spectators were social distancing as they left the stadium according to the parents.
He said that the only time anyone seemed concerned or panicked during the game was when the announcer made that announcement.
We should note that these are the only parents Idaho Dispatch has spoken to about this incident and we did so because they reached out to us.
What do you think of this situation?
Let us know in the comments below.
Tags: Ammon Bundy, Caldwell High School, Caldwell Police Department, Emmett High School, Football
24 thoughts on “Details Emerge on Ammon Bundy and the Canceled High School Football Game”
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It sounds like the school wants to tell people how to live using kids. Its not right and just does damage to the kids and parents alike.
The principal needs to be held accountable.
It sounds like one person driven by fear and a power trip took a non issue and is now covering their butts by calling it a “safety concern”. Shame on the superintendent and anyone else involved in such a scam
Yep! It’s like they did it out of anger and trying to play chicken…but you don’t play chicken with a principled person like Ammon. But once they made the challenge, they probably felt like they had to go through with it…and then probably felt silly, so they’re trying to, as you said, cover their butts.
The school should be ashamed of itself. They caused the problem by stopping the game. There was no heath risk. I can not believe this is going on in Idaho. If you want to stand for tyranny by forcing people to do things they are not required to do. Get out of Idaho and move to New York or Washington or California. They believe what you believe. If you are confused on matter of corona virus. Look into science not media.
It sounds like a case of a liberal Principal trying to make a point at the expense of the parents and participants…
Thank goodness Ammon stood his ground. This “pandemic” fear has gotten to epic proportions. It’s such a non-threat to students and teachers. Parents need to continue to stand up to these fascistic measures. The health department is not even requiring masks (not that they have the authority to do so). Hopefully, the parents of Caldwell will wake up and push back. No more mask mandates. They’re our children. You don’t have the authority to violate parental rights.
Amen and well said! And I think as long as they are going to push the mandates, we should be a prorated discount on the taxes we pay for those public services.
It was interesting to hear the police officer (the one wearing the mask) suggest that this was the school’s property…forgetting that it’s not a private school but a publicly funded space where they can no more keep someone from being there for not wearing their mask than they’d be able to keep someone from being there because of their sex or color of their skin.
I’d love to sit down with the parents who heckled Ammon and really drill down to the issue and see if they actually believe in freedom and liberty or if that’s just something they like to do once a year. They seemed like they were pointing their anger at the wrong person. Ammon was being completely reasonable and wasn’t committing any crimes. It’s the school board who showed that they were more interested in compliance than safety or reason.
Agree, it’s time for the people to stand up against this “Plandemic”. COVID may exist but doesn’t warrant the measures of shut down. The left has done a good job with the fear game but it’s time to stand up and take our ground back. We need to pray for our State and our Nation.
Did anyone see the videos he was posting asking his followers to come and help his cause? The school just wanted to let the kids play but he had to turn it into his circus. His son was playing and he had to make it about himself. Seems very selfish to that to the kids. But with him trying to get others to come and protest is one reason why the high school cancelled the game. They didn’t want that on school grounds.
If the school wanted to let the kids play they would have let them play. They were the selfish ones. These actions showed that they weren’t interested in reason or safety, but in absolute compliance.
Ammon was there to watch his kid’s play football on a publicly funded school campus. The school has just as much authority to keep him out for not wearing a mask as they do keeping someone else out on account of their sex or color of their skin.
Ammon wasn’t committing any crimes or harming anyone. The peer reviewed science doesn’t support the mask mandates and it’s ridiculous to me to see administrators acting like the “science” (which isn’t anything more than a directive from a larger political group with a conflict of interest) supports them, but it doesn’t. Decades of peer reviewed data show that cloth and ear loop masks are not effective and even n95 masks are only partially beneficial to the wearer, but not to the people around them…and only if certain protocols are followed.
But the school doesn’t care about the science. They just care that they made a rule and that someone wasn’t blindly complying.
It’s embarrassing for me to see parents who claim to have any interest in freedom, liberty, the constitution, rule of law, etc prioritizing the continuance of a game over the duty to stand up against violations of freedom. It seems like the 4th of July is just fun for parades and cute shirts, but doesn’t really mean much when we see people like the parents heckling Ammon and acting like my 3 year old after they’ve had their games taken away.
p.s. If the idea of people peacefully protesting and exercising their constitutional rights to defend the constitution…as Ammon was doing…and the idea that others might join in, is offensive to you or the school…it’s time to reconsider what side and position you’re supporting.
“They didn’t want that on school grounds.”
What exactly do you mean?
School grounds are PUBLIC property – not the personal empire of an administrator. They don’t get to decide arbitrarily what they “want” on school grounds.
Obey your political masters. There isn’t a dictatorial decree that government won’t kill you to enforce. Government is the virus. Peaceful political divorce is the cure.
CSD: If that was a disturbance, you need your eyes checked. Were you trying to dictate who wears a mask outside of your jurisdiction? Or just end the football game early? You have created controversy over a non controversial issue. Shame on you! Hope you make better judgement calls in the future.
I’m grateful for Ammon and the people who understand how silly and punitive and childish the school was being here. He didn’t try to force himself into the stands. He didn’t threaten violence on anyone. He didn’t commit any crimes. I watched the game from behind the side fence which is completely overkill on safety, but that wasn’t enough.
This kind of reaction by the school is just another indication that the mask policies are not about safety or common sense, but about compliance.
I’ve seen people saying that Ammon was being selfish and making this about him. That’s ridiculous. Fans who were heckling Ammon on the way out reminded me of my 4 year old whining when I took their game away because they’d had too much screen time.
Ammon was in the right. If this was a private school, then they would have the authority to make people wear clown suits. But a publicly funded school does now have the constitutional or other legitimate authority to dictate that people wear anything.
It’s time these policy makers bear the burden of proof to try to find any peer reviewed science that can contradict the 10+ years of peer reviewed science showing that masks are *not* effective against stopping viruses. The idea that they can just abuse their power and position to align themselves with the will of unconstitutional and honestly dangerous mask policies is absurd.
Thank you Ammon for not being a tool and giving in and for being willing to understand the importance of standing your ground.
What’s ironic is that those people who heckled Ammon probably love to think that they love the constitution and freedom and liberty and probably get super patriotic on the 4th of July. But when it actually counts to stand up for freedom and not to give in just for fear of losing a game/etc. they fold like spineless sheep.
Type above. I typed:
“I watched the game from behind the side fence which is completely overkill on safety, but that wasn’t enough.”
The “I” should have said “He”.
I wasn’t there, but if I was, I’d have been right there with him watching the game.
I believe Brother’s Park side of the fence is outside the school districts boundaries. Brothers park is owned and maintained by the City.
I went to one football game and was in the stands with no pine within 12 plus feet and they asked me to put my mask on. It’s definitely overkill by the school district’s board. Adults can make their own decision if they want to wear a mask. If you are high risk,then stay home.
Looked into science…ignored the facts.
Caldwell High School administration is acting like a frivolous dictatorship! This was a small-minded and absurd move on their part. Whoever in the administration (superintendent, principal?) was responsible for this decision should be fired. The cancellation of this game at halftime was petty, pretentious and complete overkill. SHAME on the Caldwell School District!
It sounds like the Emmett football team was dominating the game anyways so the principal threw the towel in on the second half. They just used the unconstitutional mask mandate as the excuse. Let’s remember the one thing that everyone was outside and social distance so the masks shouldn’t have been an issue!! It’s not like they were in a gymnasium for hell’s sake.
The right to swing one’s arm ends at the tip of the next individuals nose.
If wearing a mask in public is your biggest problem, you must have a great life.
Be grateful the nation is tolerant of many individuals, even such as this one.
This principal is a piece of you-know-what. Let’s get rid of him! Ammon did absolutely nothing wrong except for being APPARENTLY the ONLY PERSON in Freaking Idaho willing to stand his ground for liberty! Sheesh! What’s the matter with you, Idaho?!?!?
Bundy is well-known for his inability to follow common-sense expectations, including laws. He’s happy to allow others to pay the price for his wishes, whether it be grazing his animals on our collective land at no cost to him, or ignoring efforts to quell a 100-year pandemic.
How fortunate for him that he has a U.S. President who also gives no heed to law and order, except to talk about it. Both he and the President were born in the wrong millenium.