A 22-year-old man in Minnesota is in trouble for pretending to be a teenager so he could play high school football.
The principal of White Bear Lake Area High School, Russell Reetz, told parents that someone over 21 used fake papers and a false name to enroll in the school. Local news stations like KSTP, KARE, and WCCO also reported this.
The school said that the man is now in police custody and cannot come back to school property.
WCCO reported that he’s in jail because he allegedly broke his probation from a 2023 conviction.
KARE spoke with students who said the man was on the football team.
One student, Konnor Tran, wondered how this could happen and what steps can be taken to prevent it from happening again. He emphasized the need for a strong response to ensure the safety of the students.
A parent, April Jorgenson, told WCCO that she’s worried the school isn’t keeping kids safe. She doesn’t understand how the man was able to get into the school.
Elliott Engen, a Minnesota State Representative, is calling for the superintendent of White Bear Lake Schools to resign because of this.
Engen said that many things must have gone wrong for this to happen. He believes the leadership should be held responsible and that parents should be able to trust that their kids are safe at school.
KARE reported that Engen shared the school’s football roster, which listed the man as a 17-year-old senior cornerback.
