A Georgia mother is speaking out after Tennessee game officials ejected her son, high school running back Sheldon Atchison, for allegedly making what officials called a “gun-like” gesture on the field during a cross-state football game.
Ashley Flood, Atchison’s mother, told Atlanta Black Star that refs misinterpreted the gesture and that the suspension rules unfairly targeted her son. She questioned why officials removed him from the game when other players made similar gestures without facing the same punishment.
The incident happened Friday, Sept. 11, when Milton High School traveled to Franklin, Tennessee, to face Battle Ground Academy. Milton won 42-21, taking a 35-14 lead into halftime. Atchison, a senior running back, scored twice before leaving the game following the disputed call.
Officials ruled that Atchison’s gesture amounted to a gun-like motion and characterized it as “shooting his opponents with guns.” According to BroBible, on-field officials described the conduct as “unsafe and inexcusable.”
Flood remembers the sequence differently.
She said Atchison had a strong run during the second quarter, when Milton held a 21-7 lead, and then made what she described as a customary first-down signal with his arms.
“When we had about seven minutes left within that second quarter, and Sheldon had a really good run,” Flood told Atlanta Black Star. “And he was able to get the run down to a 15-yard, and he then did a 15-yard down gesture.”
Football players routinely signal a first down with a forward hand gesture after extending a drive, a ubiquitous tradition across every level of the sport. In fact, several NFL stars have built viral social media followings around their signature first-down celebrations.
“So many athletes do that now, even at the NFL level.”
Viral footage recorded by @LB_MED1A on Instagram shows the exact moment the play unfolded.
Referees threw a penalty flag on Atchison immediately following his first-down signal, leaving his mother and spectators in the stands baffled by the sudden ejection call.
“At that time, from the tape, they threw a flag,” she said. “And when they threw the flag, we were all like, ‘What? What happened? Why did they throw the flag right there?”
Flood said Atchison’s coach went onto the field to question the call and advocate for his player. She believed the penalty should have stopped there.
But officials ejected Atchison, preventing him from returning to the game. The ejection also triggered a suspension for Milton’s next football game.
The mandatory suspension applies to all Georgia athletes under state governance. Georgia High School Association By-Law 2.72 requires an ejected player to sit out the team’s next scheduled game at that same level of competition. Additionally, the by-law designates ejections as final judgment calls by on-field officials, barring schools from appealing or reversing the decision.
That rule is the reason the controversy has extended beyond the original game. Milton asked the GHSA to review the situation. According to Flood, the association upheld the suspension.
Flood said she understands the association’s position but believes it should have done more to examine the circumstances surrounding the ejection.
“I’m like, okay, you are playing the penalty,” Flood said. “Maybe they just play ball differently here [in Tennessee].”
In the case of an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, she explained: “They’re supposed to get the 15-yard penalty for the team. That student will get a warning. And then if that happens again, then that student would then be ejected from the game. Well, that’s not what happened. They actually gave us a 15-yard penalty, ejected him from the game, and then they said he had to be suspended from his upcoming game.”
Her biggest concern, however, extended beyond the fact that Sheldon received no warnings. It involved what she said was inconsistent enforcement.
Flood said her family recorded video showing other players making similar gestures during the game without receiving penalties.
“So, we actually have videos,” she said. “There were other players that were doing the same gesture, and they were not called at all. And then I have videos of our players; they did it too, and they were not penalized at all.”
She said the situation left her questioning why officials singled out Atchison.
“Why was Sheldon [punished] for that gesture?” Flood said. “Why was he the only one [punished]? What was that about?”
The National Federation of State High School Associations empowers officials to flag gestures interpreted as unsportsmanlike conduct. NFHS football rules categorize threatening gestures and simulated violence as 15-yard penalties. Crucially, NFHS regulations mandate an ejection only after a player commits two unsportsmanlike fouls in the same contest — a standard at odds with Atchison’s immediate ejection on his first call.
The question is not simply whether a gun-like gesture can ever be penalized. The dispute is over whether Atchison’s particular gesture met that standard, whether he received the proper warning before ejection, and whether the officials applied the rule consistently throughout the game.
Flood maintains that Atchison was simply making the first-down signal he regularly uses.
She also said the ejection was especially frustrating because of how well her son had been playing. Atchison had already scored two touchdowns and was producing significant yardage before leaving the field.
The suspension is particularly significant because Atchison is a senior with a limited number of regular-season games remaining.
“What I really want most definitely is for his suspension to be overturned,” she said. “I want my son to play in the [next] Johns Creek game, most definitely.”
She also pushed for the officials involved to receive additional training.
“At what point is that, you know, another athlete or another team comes in and plays on the field where this referee is officiating, at what point would this happen again? They need some type of training in ethical courses.” Flood said. She continued, “I think Sheldon was used to expose some level of hate. I’m not going to say racism, but some type of hatred going on within that territory…within that individual and their territory.”
For Flood, the controversy is bigger than one penalty.
She described Atchison as a player who has been committed to football since childhood, noting that he started playing at age 3. She said he has spent years studying film, working through injuries, and preparing himself for the next level.
“He doesn’t just play football just to play,” Flood said. “Sheldon stands on what he believes in, and he plays football for legacy.”
She said that commitment is why the ejection has been difficult for him to accept.
“He was very upset because he’s like, ‘I’ve worked hard to get here. I know I’m being wronged. I know I’m being targeted’…but then once he saw how everybody started responding over social media and we started encouraging him…they started lifting his spirit.”
Flood stated in the interview that outside of getting Sheldon’s suspension lifted, she wants the GHSA to step up.
“They have what they call an ‘equitable opportunity’ to play sports in GHSA’s mission. And so, I’m challenging GHSA to uphold their mission. It’s clear that my son didn’t do anything. I felt like we were not supported. We were not heard. It made me kind of look at their leadership differently because you’re [supposed to] go to bat for the people, for the communities you serve.” Flood said.
She also called out Tennessee officials: “I want to let the officials know that they are messing with a young man’s destiny. They all need to be accountable for their actions.”
