A Montana man allegedly slammed a 13-year-old boy to the ground at a rodeo over the weekend because the teen neglected to remove his hat during the national anthem — leaving the teen with a fractured skull.

Curt James Brockway, 39, told police that he asked the boy to remove his hat out of respect for the national anthem that was playing before the start of the county rodeo on Saturday, according to the Mineral County Sheriff’s Office.

Mineral County Attorney Ellen Donohue said the teen cursed at Brockway. The man than grabbed the teenager by the throat, “lifted him into the air and slammed the boy into the ground.”

Brockway said his actions were justified because the boy “was disrespecting the national anthem so he had every right to do that.”

The boy claimed that he never heard the man ask him to take off the hat.

A witness, Taylor Hennick, told the Missoulian she was at the rodeo on Saturday when she heard a “pop” and saw the boy on the ground, bleeding from his ears.

Brockway is scheduled to be arraigned Aug. 14, when he’ll be asked to enter a plea.

With Post wires