Family shares disappointment after Steele County District Attorney closes case on Blooming Prairie coach

BLOOMING PRAIRIE, Minn. (KTTC) – On Monday, Steele County Prosecutor Robert Jarrett announced that no charges will be filed against the Blooming Prairie coach who grabbed a Byron youth football player by the mask earlier this month. In reaction to this decision, the family of the 6th grade boy said that they were disappointed and wanted the lawyer to take a second look at the case.

“I expected an adult to be held accountable for his actions,” said the mother, who favored Sandy. “We are sorry that the system has failed yet another family.”

According to Jarrett’s report, the boy was coming towards the coach at full speed with the Blooming Prairie junior football player. Jarrett stated that the coach tried to prevent the Byron player from going off the field.

“Coach believed he was grabbing the youth’s shoulder pads to slow them down, and he accidentally grabbed the helmet and face mask,” Jarrett summarized in his report. “The coach said he felt terrible but didn’t want anything malicious to happen. The coach understood why the teenager’s parents would be upset and apologized for his behavior.”

Contrary to the coach’s statement, in Jarrett’s report, Sandy said they never received a direct apology. “I don’t know to whom this apology goes. “If he apologized to the lawyer, he was clearly apologizing to the wrong person.”

Witnesses who spoke to police said the coach was angry at the time and did not try to protect the child, but instead yelled at him. The regional prosecutor said that this situation was a football-type move and that his purpose was not to harm anyone else.

“You excuse this behavior because it is football. Yes, football is physical. Yes, injuries happen, but injuries happen from player to player. Not with a coach twice the size of a 12-year-old.”

Sandy added that the lack of charges being filed is concerning for all parents of young football players. “Do we wait until it hurts another child more than it hurts ours? Are we going to wait for a child to become paralyzed?”

Sandy is currently trying to contact the district attorney in hopes of going to court and having the case seriously reviewed. He said he didn’t want to hurt the coach, but instead wanted him to be held responsible for his actions.

His son told KTTC that his neck felt better and he started playing football again. Although he never wants to play for Blooming Prairie again, he said he loves football.

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