Steele County Attorney's Office begins reviewing incident involving football coach grabbing face mask - Post Bulletin | Rochester Minnesota news, weather, sports

OWATONNA, Minn. — The investigation involving a volunteer football coach grabbing an opposing player’s face mask concluded last week and is being reviewed by the Steele County Attorney’s Office.

According to Steele County Attorney Robert Jarrett, the case was requested to be reviewed in Steele County due to a conflict of interest with the Blooming Prairie city attorney.

“SCAO will make contact with the reported victim in the matter and make a determination generally within 30 days,” Jarrett said in an email.

The incident happened on Saturday, Oct. 5, during a youth football game between teams from Blooming Prairie Recreation Association and Byron Youth Football Association. An 11-year-old Byron player was running after a Blooming Prairie player.

As the two players ran out of bounds, the Byron player’s face mask was grabbed by a Blooming Prairie coach.

Video of the incident, which was shared with the Post Bulletin, shows that the 11-year-old player disengaged with the other team’s player before going out of bounds prior to the coach grabbing his face mask.

Sandy Baiza, the mother of the player, previously told the Post Bulletin that no one spoke about what had just happened, and the game continued on. After rewatching the video, Baiza said she and her husband called the Blooming Prairie Police Department to file a report.

The 11-year-old was evaluated by EMTs, who did not find any severe injuries, Baiza said. Blooming Prairie police arrived around halftime to take statements from the coach.

The game was played on the Blooming Prairie football field at the community’s high school, but the district is not affiliated with BPRA.

“Appropriate action will be taken when we have concluded our inquiry,” a Blooming Prairie Recreation Association Facebook post said on Oct. 7. “The coach in question will not be participating in activities until further notice.”

The Byron Youth Football Association said in an email to the Post Bulletin last week that they were monitoring the situation but could not comment further.

“The Byron Youth Football Association is dedicated to ensuring a safe and positive experience for our players and for players in our surrounding communities,” the email said. “We support the safety and well being of all members, including the player and family involved in this incident.”