No charges against BP coach in facemask incident

No criminal charges will be filed against a coach of a Blooming Prairie youth football team, authorities announced Monday.

Steele County Attorney Robert Jarrett issued the ruling, saying charges were declined and the case is closed.

It came down to intent, he said.

The investigation began after a report of an assault during a game on Oct. 5 when the BP coach was accused of grabbing an opposing player by the facemask as he ran past.

The coach was on the sidelines as a play ended, and two youths were coming at him “full speed,” Jarrett said. One player ran past the coach, who put his hand out to grab the second youth – and grabbed his facemask.

The player fell to the ground, but quickly sat up and went back into the field of play, the reports said.

The youth involved told authorities he was running full speed, attempting to push an opponent out of bounds when the incident happened. According to the youth, the coach said, “no, you can’t push him out of bounds.”

The player reported neck pain caused by the incident.

The coach told investigators he believed he had grabbed the youth’s shoulder pads to slow him down, but accidentally grabbed the helmet and facemask.

He said he felt terrible, but did not intend for anything malicious to happen; he reported he understood why the youth’s parents would be upset – and apologized for it.

Jarrett called the video clip of the incident “alarming,” but said the entire incident needed to be considered.

The coach didn’t confront, approach “or otherwise further engage with the opposing team’s youth … beyond the grabbing of the mask from where he stood on the sideline,” Jarrett wrote.

In attempting to stop the player from going farther out of bounds and stop further action out of bounds, “there is no evidence the coach’s intentions were criminal in nature, or he had any malicious intent.”

In the rules of football, a facemask is a safety foul; however, it is understood that they often happen accidentally, given the fast pace of play and quick reactions. In this case, Jarrett said, it was not a purposeful act to cause harm.

Based on his findings, he believes there is insufficient evidence that a reasonable jury would find proof beyond a reasonable doubt that an assault took place.

The coach was not named.

Correction: The original version of this story incorrectly stated County Attorney Robert Jarrett's findings regarding insufficient evidence. The error has been corrected, and the November 6, 2024 edition of the print version will note the correction.