11-Year Old Demias Jimerson Benched For Being Good At Football

Did you ever have a moment in school where your teacher asked a question and you raised your hand, but you’d already answered too many questions that day, so she didn’t call on you and asked the class if anybody else knew the answer? Remember how that contributed nothing to your education? Welcome to the Madre Hill Rule, the athletic equivalent of “let’s hear from somebody else”, a rule that prohibits young players from scoring too many touchdowns.

The violator of note is 11-year old Demias Jimerson, an Arkansas’ Wilson Intermediate League running back who was benched for doing just that — succeeding at football. The video is reassuring and disheartening at the same time … reassuring in that Demias himself seems like a cool kid and is okay with it, disheartening in that the only reason the principal (who is a scary old white lady … just throwing that out there in case this becomes an inspirational movie) has is “the other kids are forced to deal with him being good”. Constant attempts to nerf creativity and talent are the worst part about the public school system, and pretty much the only part I can remember.

Another reassuring part of the video is Demias’ soundbite about how football is important, but how God comes first. He’s going to give great post-game interviews one day.

[h/t Guyism]

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