WIGGINS, Miss. -- The Mississippi chapter of the NAACP is calling for a federal investigation of a possible hate crime after an African-American football player at a southern Mississippi high school allegedly had a noose placed around his neck and yanked backward by a teammate.Derrick Johnson, president of the Mississippi chapter of the civil rights group, told ESPN the incident took place the afternoon of Oct. 13 at Stone County High School.The alleged victim in the attack, a sophomore member of the football team, was not physically harmed but was terrified by the incident, Johnson said.John Feaster, the first-year head coach for the Stone Tomcats, told ESPN the incident happened inside the football locker room as players were getting ready for practice.I reported it to the administration and handled it as swiftly as I could, Feaster said.The individual that was responsible hasnt been with our team since the incident. I just want it understood, it could have been the biggest superstar and he would have been gone. I dont care who it is -- if you do something like that, you cant be part of our team, Feaster added.The alleged victims father, when reached Monday night by ESPN, declined to comment and said he and his family wish not to be identified.Were calling on federal investigators to view this as a racial hate crime. No child should be in fear of going to school. No child should be walking down the hall or in the locker room and be accosted with a noose around their neck. This is 2016, not 1916, Johnson said at a news conference in Wiggins on Monday.Johnson told ESPN that at least three students, all of them white, were involved in the incident but Feaster, the head coach, disputed those details.To my knowledge it was one individual. It was not a group, Feaster said.Johnson told ESPN the incident was first reported to the Stone County Sheriffs Department by the victims mother, but that she was discouraged from filing a report.Stone County Sheriff Mike Farmer had not responded to a request for comment from ESPN.Johnson called on school officials to expel anybody responsible for the incident and said these same individuals came to school earlier this year brandishing Confederate flags on their vehicles.Johnson said the parents of the sophomore who was attacked have not been informed of any punishment for the students involved.Stone County High School Principal Adam Stone referred comment to Superintendent Inita Owen. She and school board attorney Sean Courtney didnt immediately respond to phone calls and emails seeking comment.Allowing students to commit blatant hate crimes without severe consequences sends a message to students that their safety and well-being are not valuable enough to be protected, the NAACP said in a statement Monday.Mississippi has struggled with a history of racial division. It is the last state that still incorporates the Confederate battle emblem on its state flag. In 2014, two out-of-state students at the University of Mississippi placed a noose on the campus statue of James Meredith, the black student who integrated Ole Miss in 1962. Both pleaded guilty to using a threat of force to intimidate African-American students and employees. Neither attends the school anymore.The names and ages of the students involved in the Stone County incident werent immediately released.The African-America student targeted in the attack has returned to school and football practice, according to Feaster.Its tough. I feel bad for the kid it happened to. Thats where my major concern is, Feaster said.When asked about frustrations within the African-American community in the predominantly white Stone County, Feaster responded: Trust me. I understand. Im an African-American male and I was born and raised in Mississippi. Its sad that something like this happens in 2016. I just pray we can get it together.Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. Cheap Angels Jerseys . -- An ugly goal by Nick Bonino helped the Anaheim Ducks overcome the defensive-minded Phoenix Coyotes on a night when their ragged power play continued to struggle. Los Angeles Angels Gear . 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SEOUL, South Korea -- Badminton at the Rio Olympics will try to shake off multiple scandals and adapt to a rule change many consider an attempt to curb Chinese dominance.Seen as backyard fun by many Americans, the sport is serious business for millions in Asia and parts of Europe, where throngs of people pack stadiums to watch players who are household names.Its less popular in Brazil, and that has some players worried about whats in store for them.Those who tune in will see an appealing blend of power, speed and agility, with long rallies that can seem like video games as the shuttle whizzes back and forth across the net and players stretch like gymnasts to parry smashes that can reach speeds of well above 100 miles per hour.Heres a look at what to expect in Rio from a game named after a 19th century English dukes country house:---SCANDALSBadminton has been rocked by scandal in recent years and is hoping the Olympics will provide a chance to move on.At the 2012 games in London, two South Korean womens doubles teams along with a Chinese and an Indonesian team were disqualified for trying to lose early matches so they could get better draws in the knockout round.Two of the disgraced South Koreans, Kim Ha-na and Jeong Kyung-eun, made the Olympics team for Rio. Time has passed and Ive moved on and grown up, Kim said recently. Although I still have bad memories, I will never make the same mistake again.The current No. 1 mens singles player, Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia, served an eight-month ban for doping. Lee said he took an anti-inflammatory drug inadvertently, and a panel said he had been negligent, rather than intending to cheat.A gambling scandal, meanwhile, has hurt the chances of the recently improved Japanese mens team. Kento Momota, a young star who had been ranked No. 2 in the world, was banned from the Olympics after admitting to gambling at an illegal casino in Japan.---END OF CHINESE DOMINANCE?China won gold in all five badminton events in 2012, and many top Chinese will again be contenders.But competition in Rio is likely to be more open after an Olympic rule change that limits countries to two singles entrants in each event. Each country could previously enter three, something that benefited Chinnas deep field of talent.ddddddddddddEven without the change, however, the rest of the world has been gaining on China.The current top mens and womens singles players are non-Chinese -- Malaysias Lee Chong Wei and Carolina Marin, of Spain -- although both of the No. 2 and No. 3 players are Chinese.---THREEPEAT?Chinas Lin Dan, considered by many the greatest mens player of all time, will be going for his third consecutive singles gold.He won at home in Beijing in 2008 and again in London in 2012, both times against his top rival, and perhaps the second greatest player of his era, Malaysias Lee Chong Wei, who is now considered the top gold medal contender.Lin, currently ranked No. 3, is no longer the top-ranked player even in China, eclipsed by world champion Chen Long, the world No. 2.Both Lin and Lee are old by badminton standards: Lin is 32; Lee is 33.Still, Lin combines a powerful attack, agile defense and subtle net play, and many fans are hoping for a dramatic rematch between Lin and Lee.---VENUEBrazil is not a traditional badminton power, and there is some worry about fan support and the arenas layout.Lin Dan, used to huge, adoring crowds and dedicated badminton arenas, mentioned what he considered the venues small size after playing a test event there last year.Air drifts and currents are also worries when playing top-level badminton in a place thats not used to it. Drifts can play a major, detrimental part in a game by changing the direction and speed of the shuttle, which is conical, made of 16 goose feathers stuck to a leather-covered round cork, and weighs only about 5 grams.Major drift culprits include air conditioning and the opening and closing of doors and windows.To be fair, there were drift complaints even at the Olympics in England, where the modern version of the game was developed in the 19th century. To try to compensate for any drifts, players change ends during matches.---AP TV journalist Jungho Choi contributed from Seoul.---Foster Klug, APs bureau chief in Seoul, South Korea, is covering table tennis and badminton in Rio. Follow him at www.twitter/apklug ' ' '