Marcus Crossland, the father who was filmed kicking his six-year-old son down a skateboard ramp last month, has apologized, calling it a “bonehead decision.”
The clip, which emerged in April, showed Marcus physically booting his son, Dino, off the 13-foot ramp in Florida. The uproar provoked by the footage has forced Crossland and his family to move their home, while he also admitted that he has lost his job because of it too.
You can check out the harrowing video below:
27-year-old Marcus and his wife Emily appeared on the Today Show on Monday to explain and apologize for his actions.
Marcus, who alongside his wife hails from Jacksonville, Florida, stated, “It was a bonehead decision. It was an effort to help him but it didn’t come across that way… I’m sorry I used that tactic as opposed to another.”
He noted that he kicked Dino to try and make his son overcome his fear of the steep, vertical ramp. However the repercussions of his decision have been dire for both him and his close family.
“Because of a decision I made,” he added , “my wife and children and everybody has got to deal with it.”
Emily has revealed that Dino has been overwhelmed by the attention that has come with the clip’s popularity, and he is still extremely confused by his father’s actions.
“It’s something I tried to shield him from,” she said. “He knows he’s been on the news. But he is doing wonderful, he’s happy and he’s healthy.”
Emily also confirmed that her life has been turned upside down by the video, which was uploaded to Instagram by a teenage skater at the same park, so much so that they have decided to move away from the city and start afresh.
She also insisted that Marcus’ kicking of Dino was an isolated incident, and that there have been no other examples of physical abuse in their household.
“Nothing like that has ever happened before,” she declared. “There is nothing behind closed doors. He’s a really great dad, he loves his family, he’s a good person.”
Despite these protestations, Police and the State Attorney’s office are still in the midst of conducting their investigation into the abuse.
Martin Ramos, who owns the skate-park where the attack took place, admitted that both Crosslands were regulars at his establishment, but that he’d never seen Marcus act this way before.
At the time, he stated, “He said he was just caught up in the moment. He seemed very remorseful. He certainly understands the gravity of the situation and it seems like he is going to be answering to this thing for quite some time to come.”
