'Somebody has got to stop this' - 16-year-old girl explains why she charged onto pitch to tackle brother's opponent during game

A 16-year-old has explained why she charged on to the pitch to tackle her brother's opponent in a football game.

Addison Honeycutt tackled a player at a game in Winchester, Middle Tennessee - with footage of the incident captured on camera and circulating online.

She charged at the unsuspecting opposition player and knocked him right to the ground before pushing him again as teammates rapidly intervened.

Honeycutt was charged with disorderly conduct and assault and the incident has garnered coverage in the local area, with NewsChannel 5 producing a report on the story.

Honeycutt was interviewed and revealed that her actions were a response to watching her younger brother targeted by an opposition player.

She explained: "I was not going after this kid to just go after him - that was not my intention at all.

"Seeing what they were were doing to him and nobody stopping it, that kind of made me the last choice of, 'OK, somebody has to stop this'."

Addison claimed that the player who she attacked was responsible for multiple incidents, including grabbing her brother's face, slinging him around and then hitting him in the ribs.

It proved to be the final straw as she proceeded to after the player.

She added: "That's when I started to be like, 'No, I'm done watching this.

"I really do love him and I would do anything for him."

Addison's mother Elizabeth was also watching and believes coaches ought to have stepped in to stop what was happening to her son.

She explained: "I'm seeing my son on the ground being attacked. This wasn't just a football play. This was him on the ground being physically attacked by this other player.

However, despite what happened, she claimed to tell her daughter that she did not deal with the situation in the right way.

"I made sure she understood quickly that her behaviour, that was inappropriate," she added.

"She shouldn't have jumped over the fence."

READ MORE: Footballer given five-year ban for sickening assault on opponent after suspended prison sentence

Honeycutt was removed from school property and then hit with the charges, which are now set to be fought. David McKenzie, the girl's attorney, scoffed at Honeycutt being served with petitions as she slammed the opposition player's conduct.

He commented: "I believe her little brother was absolutely being abused on that field. What that other player was doing was not football.

"Could there have been less restrictive measures rather than have this poor little girl served with petitions from a juvenile court system? Absolutely."

The incident went extremely viral and the father of the 13-year-old player who was tackled posted on Facebook, claiming his son did not deserve what happened to him as he slammed the hate and abuse received.