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Athlete Pushed By Her Coach In Video: 'I Thought It Was Normal'

(CBS) -- She was pushed in the face by her coach, and it was all caught on tape.

CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot talks with the basketball player at the center of the viral video.

"I just thought it was how normal basketball was, and that's how the coaches treated the players and it was just a part of the game," says Anari Smith, a Christ the King College Prep student.

She is the athlete seen in cellphone video who is yelled at by coach Edward Douglas. Then he uses his open hand to push her head, lifting her chair off the ground.

She says Douglas frequently yelled at athletes.

"At first I felt bad. Everyone kept blaming it on me," Smith says. "It's not my fault, of what happened. I didn't ask for that."

Smith says a teammate started an argument with her about the score, prompting the coach to intervene.

The freshman loves basketball and attends the school on scholarship. She moved from Las Vegas recently just to attend Christ the King.

Smith says she's been bullied in school and via social media for not being tough enough to take her coach's treatment.

Smith's mother, Britteny Smith, talked with Le Mignot via Skype.

"I'm not condemning the coach. People make mistakes. People get used to a certain culture, so to speak, and that's what I'm seeing in this situation," the elder Smith says. "For me, it's just not acceptable."

Douglas has not responded to requests for comment.

He was dismissed as coach when the story first broke. The school has said the well-being of students is their highest priority and has met with students and parents about the incident.

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