SALINE COUNTY, Ark. — A Bryant man designed t-shirts mocking the annual Benton, Bryant “Salt Bowl” game.
John David Salons designed 36 t-shirts; 18 royal blue, 18 maroon in color.
On the front, the words say: “Assault Bowl 2019.” It also has a picture of a skull and assault rifles crossing.
“It infuriated me,” said Jennifer Wiseman, a mother to a Bryant High School student.
The t-shirts caught the eyes and anger of many more parents and teens on Facebook.
"The guns, the skull, that just screams death to me,” said Wiseman.
Wiseman and her daughter Haley, a Bryant High School band member, are just two of the thousands of people who remember the mass stampede of chaos at the game last year.
Panicked fans thought there was a shooting and scrambled for their lives. Instead, the sound came from a metal barrier falling onto the hard concrete after police broke up a fight.
"It changed them in so many ways,” said Wiseman.
"We had counselors at the school for two to three weeks,” said Haley.
It's a sensitive topic for both schools, but the man behind the t-shirts finds something funny in it.
"I have a very dry sense of humor,” said Salons.
Salons called the t-shirts "satire."
"I thought about water guns, putting water guns up, but I found a U.S. weapons company logo and that's perfect right there,” he said.
Salons said the shirts raise no threat in any way.
"I don't know why someone would make these and decide to profit off them because that night was scary,” said Haley.
Saline County people have said the t-shirts stir up bad memories. And for Jennifer, she said the kids were traumatized enough and hopes that’s enough for Salons to get rid of them.
"If someone wants to give me $620, you can have them and I won't make them again, I promise,” he said.
He's selling them for 20 bucks apiece. So far, he’s sold three.