Baseball coach acquitted of assaulting high school player
Published 10:53 pm Friday, October 22, 2021
A well-known high school baseball coach from Alabama was found innocent of assaulting a player but guilty of harassment, court records show.
A circuit court jury this week acquitted Russell County High School coach Tony Rasmus on a misdemeanor charge that he assaulted a player earlier this year, documents show. The verdict overturned an earlier district court decision that convicted Rasmus, who appealed after being accused of choking a player.
Rasmus, 55, was convicted on a lesser count of harassment on Monday. He was suspended from coaching with pay following his arrest earlier this year and hasn’t been reinstated. A sentencing hearing is set for Nov. 22, the Ledger-Enquirer reported.
Rasmus won a state championship at Russell County in 2005 and coached a Phenix City team to the 1999 U.S. championship and runner-up finish in the Little League World Series. Three of his four sons played professional baseball.