Many people are still talking about the video of a Chicago teen wrestler who suckered punched his opponent after he was defeated in a match.
Some are calling for the teen to be banned from the sport for life, but former MMA artist and commentator Chaei Somen disagrees.
He says the young wrestler should be given a second chance.
“I would tell you as a coach, the worst thing that a young man should have is free time,” Sonnen told TMZ. “It’s probably one of the reasons that his parents got him enrolled and enlisted him in something like wrestling in the first place.”
“To kick the kid out and have him just roaming the streets and doing something else I think should be given a real consideration. This was a terrible moment, but it could also be a teachable moment,” he said.
Somen continued to say that the teen should be shown compassion and empathy, but he also feels for the victim too.
“The gentleman that you saw getting hit likely has lost his temper before, too. Maybe it was at practice, maybe he didn’t hit quite as hard, maybe it wasn’t caught and shown to the world but it’s a very normal thing in wrestling,” Sonnen said.
“We don’t know the rest of the story. For sure it was terrible action but to ban a kid for life, I think there’s a discussion that at least deserves to be had,” he concluded.
