Robert Mammone, 17, a senior All-Conference fullback, was released on his own recognizance after entering his plea before Judge Edward Marano. He also requested a jury trial, said attorney Thomas Liotti.
Mr. Mammone, of Woodside Drive in Hewlett Bay Park, was charged with third-degree assault on Nov. 24 after police said they had determined he intentionally tried to injure Brendan Wright, a senior linebacker for Mepham. Third-degree assault, a misdemeanor, is punishable by up to a year in jail and/or a $1,000 fine, officials said.
More than 100 Hewlett High School students, many of them Mr. Mammone's teammates, packed the courtroom in a show of support for him, said Mr. Liotti. They wore Hewlett High School shirts and football jerseys.
"I stand behind Robbie," said Michael Weschler, an offensive lineman. "I don't think it should have gotten this far. Robbie was playing the game of football. He did nothing wrong."
"This is really not a criminal case," said Mr. Liotti. "It is important to look at intent. In order to commit a crime, you would have to prove intent to commit a crime. There was no intent here. I looked at the tape again and again. We know the whistle blew some seconds after this altercation. The two boys were locked and Robert was blocking. That was his mission. He was just doing his job."
But police, who have reviewed the videotape of the play, tell a different story, saying that Mr. Mammone appeared to intentionally harm Mr. Wright.
"It's a definite blatant assault," said a police spokesperson. "It looked like he meant to hurt the kid."
The video is said to show Mr. Wright rushing into the Hewlett backfield. But Mr. Wright encountered two blockers, one of them Mr. Mammone. Police said the play was over when Mr. Mammone continued to hold Mr. Wright with one hand and came down with his other arm on the victim's elbow three times in a karate-chop fashion. The move dislocated Mr. Wright's left elbow, forcing him to miss the final two games of the regular season. His arm in a cast, he returned for a playoff game three weeks after the incident, officials said.
The arrest of Mammone, which his lawyer called extremely unusual in a case like this one, came about after police investigated a complaint filed by the Wright family about 10 days after incident.
"It looks to me like there are some hyper-sensitive parents on the other side," Mr. Liotti said. "It's really not right to charge a kid like this and what he is going through right now."
The Wright family could not be reached for comment. But the victim's father, Jonathan Wright, has said in published reports that he does not believe Mr. Mammone should get away with what he did. Mr. Mammone was ejected from the Oct. 21 game and automatically suspended for the next game, in accordance with a state public-school sportsmanship policy. The school administration then suspended him for the remaining regular-season games and the playoffs.
Mr. Liotti said he had Mr. Mammone take a polygraph test, administered last week by Dr. Joel Riecheter, a physiologist at SUNY Farmingdale who also does polygraphs for the FBI and CIA. During the test, Mr. Mammone was asked whether his intention was to harm Mr. Wright and he answered no, Mr. Liotti said.
"He successfully passed with flying colors," said Mr. Liotti. Although the results of the test are not admissible in court, the lawyer said he believes it will help clear up some of the accusations against his client.
"The students showed support for Robert, who is a good student, a good friend, a student-athlete and captain of the football team," Mr. Liotti said. "They felt that this was a low blow and really uncalled-for, and he feels like a bit of a victim himself and so does his family."
He said the case should have been left in the hands of school officials and not taken to police.
"I thought what happened to Robbie wasn't right," said teammate Weschler. "I thought it was not fair at all."
Mr. Liotti said Mr. Mammone hopes to be vindicated in the courts and then continue with his career plans. He was hoping for a scholarship and to play college football somewhere.
"He's a great kid. It's a shame that police had to get involved," the lawyer said.
Mr. Mammone is due back in court for a conference on Dec. 18.
