A pheasant that interrupted a high school football playoff game Friday was killed as soon as it stepped off the field. The man involved now faces an animal cruelty charge, and some say the killing could be a poaching violation.

In addition, police have referred to juvenile court the two American Fork High School students who set the ring-necked pheasant loose on the football field as a prank.

The pheasant was let loose during the game between American Fork and Viewmont. The bird ran across the field safely, but was stomped nearly to death when it reached the sidelines.

American Fork police Sgt. Shauna Greening said after Richard Dean Layton, 47, from Bountiful allegedly stomped on the bird twice, a school administrator had to kill the bird because it was severely injured. Layton is a Viewmont assistant coach.

"It was hardly breathing," Greening said.

She said Layton, an assistant coach from Viewmont, has been issued a summons to appear on an animal cruelty charge, a class B misdemeanor.

It could get worse. Lt. Scott White of the Division of Wildlife Resources told the Associated Press that the stomping would be a violation of hunting regulations. The pheasant season doesn't start until Nov. 6, and stomping isn't a legal way to hunt the bird.

Animal advocates are upset as well.

Gene Baierschmidt, the executive director of the Humane Society of Utah, said stomping the bird was wrong and will teach students violence.

"That bird didn't want to be on the football field anymore than the players wanted it to be there. Many students who witnessed the stomping may not remember what they learned in school that week, and they may not even remember much about the game itself. But this memory of this cruel act will undoubtably remain," Baierschmidt said in a statement released by the Humane Society.