Fourteen-year-old Rafael Merced and his mother say it happened Wednesday on the gridiron of Gateway High School.

Merced and a teammate were involved in an on-field scuffle.

The players say the coach insinuated one of the boys might be homosexual and told them to run laps holding hands around the field.

Merced says he ran those laps while other students and teammates watched and made fun.

"I was angry. I was embarrassed and humiliated because the soccer team practices out there at the same time as us. So does the lacrosse team, even the band and so does the varsity football team," said Merced.

His mother believes this is more than simple punishment. She calls the coach's actions "hazing."

"I can't believe an educator would do something to demean these students and to make them feel embarrassed. They're both freshmen, you know, it's a sensitive time," Merced's mom, Tasha Martinez, said. "You're struggling with a lot, and to have someone of trust, in that position, to deliberately humiliate these boys, I'm very upset by it."

Aurora Public Schools says it is investigating the incident. The district released the following statement:

"We are investigating these allegations to determine if they are true. We are speaking with players, parents and staff who may have been involved. Although we cannot address a specific issue like this due to privacy laws, we can say that in general, if there was an incident where there were concerns about a staff member's behavior, we would take appropriate disciplinary action. This could range from a discussion with the employee to express our concerns and expectations regarding the alleged conduct to discipline that could include suspension or in some cases termination, if warranted."

Martinez and her son plan to meet with school officials on Friday to discuss the situation.