Micah Parsons.jpg

Penn State commit Micah Parsons has transferred from Central Dauphin to Harrisburg, according to his father, Terrence Parsons.

(Sean Simmers, PennLive file photo)

Penn State commit Micah Parsons has left Central Dauphin High School and enrolled at Harrisburg High, his father told PennLive Tuesday.

Terrence Parsons said Micah left CD in the wake of fallout from a racist social media post by a group of female students. His father said Micah was accused by the school of "inciting a riot'' and suspended Thursday after the Instagram post became the subject of public scrutiny.

"They gave him three days [suspension], and the punishment doesn't fit the crime," Terrence said.

Terrence Parsons said his son walked into the CD cafeteria Thursday and called out the name of a teammate, who was across the room.

Terrence said his son was escorted to the principal's office by the principal. Terrence said he viewed video of the incident captured by the school's surveillance system and disagreed with their assessment.

"Watching the video and listening to what they are telling me, there are two different things," Terrence said. "The police were to his left, he was to their right, he turned his head and called another football player. They threw him out and said he tried to incite a riot, but, on video, nobody was running or moving or anything."

Parsons has not been charged with any crime, his father said.

Parsons said he believes his son -- a defensive end and the eighth-ranked junior in the nation, according to ESPN -- was "targeted" and suspended because he tweeted the girls' post adding, "Lmao this is the school I rep ... I gotta transfer."

Repeated attempts to reach Central Dauphin School District were not immediately successful. On Thursday, district Superintendent Carol Johnson said the students believed to be involved in the post had been interviewed and were facing discipline.

Terrence said he told his son he didn't do anything wrong with the post but "felt there was going to be some backlash."

"If anyone else would've posted it, there wouldn't be that bit of backlash," Micah's father said. "But, because of who my son is, they felt like he brought attention to the situation that it didn't need. Because he is labeled a five-star, when he posted that, adults in the community went all over Facebook and Twitter and were talking about how they felt.

"If you read what he wrote, there's nothing wrong. But, I said, 'Son you just have to be careful because your views are not everybody's views.'"

Micah's father added CD was holding up his son's transfer paperwork, which is needed to allow him to play football. Terrence said that Micah started classes in Harrisburg on Tuesday and could play as early as Friday if his paperwork is approved.

Terrence Parsons said Micah would be eligible to play for Harrisburg because he moved out of CD's district after he was suspended and moved in with his mother, who recently moved into Harrisburg's district.

"This is not about sports," Terrence said. "His mom moved. His place of residence has changed. You can't live in Harrisburg and play for Central Dauphin. That's against the rules."

The Cougars (5-2) are scheduled to visit unbeaten State College (7-0).

Terrence said he's still weighing his legal options.

"As of right now, there are a lot of people talking to me," he said. "I'm just like, 'Let me get my thoughts together.' My son is being recruited. I don't want everyone think he's causing all types of trouble. He's a kid but because of his stature on the football field, he can't be a kid."

"Looking at that video, nobody knows what he said, and if he tried to incite a riot, it certainly doesn't look like it."

PennLive's Ryan Baillargeon contributed to this article.

Editor's note: This story was updated to say Micah Parsons was escorted to the office by the principal not the police, according to Parsons' father.