Officials say Michael Stallone of Floral Park faces assault charges for allegedly attacking 11 girls at a soccer game

A Floral Park father who says he just wanted to help was banned from a Long Island soccer league after he allegedly hit an 11-year-old girl who was playing with another player during a game at the Mitchel Athletic Complex last month His daughter’s crew had clashed, according to authorities.

Michael Stallone, 43, was arrested on charges of third-degree assault, endangering the welfare of a child and drug possession around 2 p.m. on Sept. 28 during a game for girls 12 and under in Garden City, a criminal complaint states.

“This whole thing is a misunderstanding of what was going on,” said defense attorney Marc Gann. “There was no assault here, nor was it Mr. Stallone’s intention to assault or potentially harm a child. He came to the aid of a child who was thrown to the ground.”

Gann said Stallone, who has two daughters – one of whom plays on the team – witnessed a violent collision between two players during Sunday’s game and went onto the field to help.

Stallone stood on the sideline, just feet from where the two girls collided, which he said was audible to everyone on the field.

“The witnesses I spoke to said they could hear the bones hitting each other,” Gann said of the impact.

Gann said the larger of the two girls collided directly with the smaller girl from Stallone’s daughter’s team, knocking her to the ground temporarily unconscious.

“Mr. Stallone was just a few feet away from where this happened and just ran onto the field to try to help the player on the field who appeared to be really injured,” Gann said. “Maybe he pushed her out of the way to get to the kid on the ground.”

According to the criminal complaint, which identifies the injured girl as Stallone’s daughter, the alleged victim said Stallone hit her in the face “with an open hand and elbow.”

“A parent on the other team yelled, ‘He hit my daughter,'” Gann said. “But I don’t think that happened.”

Nassau County police arrested Stallone and found a single Oxycontin tablet in an unmarked bottle in his pocket.

The pill was prescribed, Gann said, and he expects those charges to be dropped.

Stallone, a landscape gardener who is currently unable to work due to a work-related injury, takes the medication “as needed,” the attorney said.

The Long Island Soccer Club said Thursday it had investigated the incident and temporarily suspended Stallone.

“Following the incident, LISC conducted an investigation which resulted in the parent involved in the incident being notified that he would be indefinitely suspended from all program activities, including participation in future games,” the said league in a statement. They added that they have a “zero tolerance policy” towards behavior from parents that “undermines the safety or sportsmanship of players.”

Gann called the decision to criminally charge him an “overreaction.”

“He takes care of his two girls,” Gann said of his client. “No problems in the community. “Truly a gentle, nice guy who is himself upset that someone misinterpreted his behavior and actions or assumed that he intended or intended or would actually harm another child.”