A fight ended the Austin East and Brainerd High School basketball game in Chattanooga last Saturday night, sending one student to the hospital, according to the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office.

"I've never seen anything like it," said John Jackson, whose son plays for Austin-East. "What was kind of going through my mind is where is my son? Where is he?"

On January 29, the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) sent letters to the school administrations at both Austin-East Magnet High School and Brainerd High school that served as notices that both basketball teams would be suspended until "the incident is thoroughly investigated and effective administrative action is taken by your school's administration to address it, deal with those responsible, and prevent future incidents of this type."

On Friday, February 2, the TSSAA confirmed to Local 8 News they had sent letters to both teams that afternoon. A player on the Austin-East basketball team told Local 8 News the team had been told they had been suspended from all post-season game play.

Jackson said the decision came as a big blow to his son.

"He's a senior, and he's a great kid, compassionate for the other kids, so he said, 'Well dad, I'm hurt, but I'm hurt for the other seniors, who basketball is their lives,'" Jackson said.

An AE player, who wished to remain anonymous, said the brawl occurred just before halftime, with 2:20 left in the first half. Austin-East led 36-32 at that time.

Hamilton County deputies said the fight consisted of parents, students and players. The condition of the student investigators said was injured is unknown.

According to the letter from TSSAA, one TSSAA Basketball Supervisor who was in attendance at the game said that the fight was the "worst he has ever seen in 36 years."

Jackson said his son wasn't one of the ones swinging, but he was fighting to keep the peace.

"He was safe and pulling players back," Jackson said.

"This is not simply a matter of two players having an altercation in the heat of a contest," the TSSAA letter read. "This melee reflects a loss of perspective by all those who participated in it. Occurrences like this undermine our ability to accomplish the objectives of high school sports and are simply unacceptable."

A day after Austin-East players learned of the suspension, Jackson's son assured his school the roadrunners will keep moving. In a tweet, he wrote, "As a senior at Austin-East, we have been through a lot of adversity as a school, but we still rise up against the negativity."

"You have to learn how to play through the adversities in life, and that's what our boys have learned how to do," Jackson said.

Local 8 News reached out to a spokesperson for Knox County Schools, who said school officials were working with administrators in Chattanooga to find out how the altercation started.

AE Coach Marcus Stanton spoke about the fight to families who attended Saturday's game and said he plans to reach out to any players' families who were not able to attend.

The brawl is under investigation and those who took part in the fight could face charges, according to Hamilton County deputies.

The game featured two top-five teams in the state in Class AA. Austin-East is currently ranked second, Brainerd fifth.

The Roadrunners beat Brainerd back in December, 74-69. Before the teams' suspension, the two schools were scheduled to meet again on Saturday, February 10. According to the Hamilton County Department of Education, the game will not be played, citing a decision from Dr. Zac Brown, interim principal of Brainerd High.

According to the Hamilton County Department of Education, TSSAA actions taken against Brainerd High School included $3,500 in fines. The boys' basketball team was placed on restrictive probation for the remainder of the 2017-18 season, as well as throughout the 2018-2019 school year. During that probation, the team will not be allowed to enter the post-season tournament. However, TSSAA allowed the team to finish out the remainder of the regular season for this season and the next.