Georgia high school footballer hit with terroristic threats charges over ‘diss track’ about teammate

Georgia High School Footballer Charged with Making Terrorist Threats Over Diss Rap

An 18-year-old high school football player from Georgia, Cortez Lyles, is facing charges for making terrorist threats after recording a diss rap directed at a fellow player. The incident occurred following an on-field altercation with his teammate at Heritage High School in Conyers last November, as reported by FOX5.

Lyles, who plays as a defensive back, decided to create the diss track as a way to settle the score after his parents advised him against resorting to physical violence. In the rap song, he explicitly threatens to “beat his ass” and ominously warns to “get a body bag.”

His mother, Shandela McKnight, expressed her disapproval of her son’s retaliatory actions through the rap song, stating, “We don’t teach our kids that.” The situation escalated when the other student’s parents heard the track and decided to press charges against Lyles in February.

Among the menacing lyrics in the diss track were phrases like “drop a diss” and “I ain’t sparing,” further fueling the controversy surrounding the incident.

Despite the serious nature of the charges, Lyles’ father, Nachez Lyles, defended his son’s actions, claiming that the lyrics should not have been taken literally. Drawing a parallel to the feud between rappers Kendrick Lamar and Drake, he argued that artistic expression should not be misconstrued as actual threats.

Lyles now faces a misdemeanor charge of making terroristic threats or acts, with the date of his court appearance yet to be disclosed.