Tim Walz allegedly told high school football player struggling with crime and alcohol to keep playing

Minnesota Governor and vice statesmanlike campaigner Tim Walz's precocious schoolhouse shot coaching profession was nan taxable of a caller article successful The Ringer. 

One of Walz's erstwhile players connected nan 1998 Mankato West squad shared specifications of his interactions pinch Walz while dealing pinch alcoholism and issues pinch nan law. 

Former Mankato West linebacker Dan Clement told The Ringer that he began to research pinch intoxicant erstwhile he was successful precocious school. Then, nan summertime betwixt his inferior and elder year, Clement said he was arrested aggregate times for underage drinking. Clement had a suspension from shot to statesman his last precocious schoolhouse play and said he decided "I’m conscionable not going to play astatine all."

But Clement said Walz many times approached him successful nan hallways that twelvemonth and told nan teenager, "We request you."

"He knew I was struggling," Clement told nan outlet, adding that Walz told him, "I don’t attraction astir that different stuff."

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Democratic vice statesmanlike nominee, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks astatine a get-out-the-vote rally connected October 22, 2024, successful Madison, Wisconsin. Wisconsin polls unfastened coming for in-person early voting.  (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Clement said, aft Walz's intervention, that he yet returned to nan squad for nan 2nd half of nan season. 

However, Clement said he did not get sober until a afloat decade aft Walz pushed him to return to nan section for his last season, The Ringer reported. Still, Clement thanked Walz for his effect connected his life. 

"The caring attraction he gave, that affirmative support tin propulsion you done really acheronian times successful your life," Clement said, adding that he told Walz,"I’m leaning connected you. I’m trusting you here. I deliberation partying is simply a amended idea. You don’t deliberation so. And I’m going to spot you connected that.’

"And he was right. I was wrong. And later successful life, erstwhile I continued to do that, erstwhile I continued to spot different group who emotion me, past it led my life successful this beautiful direction. Just for illustration it did backmost then."

Fox News Digital has reached retired to nan Harris-Walz run and nan Minnesota governor's agency for comment, but has not received a consequence astatine nan clip of publication.

Walz's short tenure arsenic an adjunct shot coach has been a talking constituent for nan Harris run since he was announced arsenic nan moving mate for Harris connected Aug. 7. 

TIM WALZ SAYS HE KEPT A SHOTGUN IN HIS CAR TO HUNT PHEASANTS AFTER FOOTBALL PRACTICE 

Democratic vice statesmanlike nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks astatine a run stop, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, successful Manitowoc, Wis.  (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

The run has made aggregate attempts to necktie nan Minnesota governor's candidacy to his stint arsenic nan adjunct coach of nan Mankato West High School shot team successful Minnesota successful nan 1990s. During Walz's tenure arsenic an adjunct connected nan staff, nan squad won nan authorities title successful 1999. 

On Sunday, Walz did a unrecorded watercourse of him playing Madden NFL pinch Democrat legislature typical Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. But nan arena was mocked by shot fans aft Walz sent a since-deleted station connected X that read, "AOC tin tally a mean pick-6."

When Walz attended a crippled betwixt Mankato West and rival Mankato East successful early October, pro-Palestine protesters were seen astatine nan venue to coincide pinch Walz's appearance, seen successful posts by Minneapolis Star-Tribune newsman J.P. Lawrence. 

Walz brought retired members of Mankato West's 1999 authorities title squad during his reside astatine nan Democratic National Convention connected Aug. 21, erstwhile he formally accepted nan nomination. During that speech, Richard Grenell, erstwhile U.S. ambassador to Germany, critiqued nan show successful a station connected X. 

"He was nan Assistant Coach not nan Coach," Grenell wrote. 

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Democratic vice statesmanlike campaigner Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks connected shape during nan 3rd time of nan Democratic National Convention astatine nan United Center connected August 21, 2024, successful Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

When Walz attended a Sept. 28 crippled betwixt Minnesota and Michigan successful Ann Arbor, Michigan, fans waited extracurricular afterwards and gave him a harsh farewell. Several successful attendance booed him, pinch different instrumentality moreover yelling, "Get retired of here!"

Walz, contempt ne'er having coached past nan precocious schoolhouse level aliases moreover arsenic a caput coach successful precocious school, compared his inheritance arsenic a shot coach to that of Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who served arsenic nan caput coach astatine 4 different NCAA Power 5 shot programs from 1995 to 2016. Tuberville led Ole Miss, Auburn, Texas Tech and Cincinnati arsenic caput coach and moreover won an SEC Championship pinch Auburn successful 2004. 

"I consciousness for illustration 1 of my roles successful this now is to beryllium nan anti-Tommy Tuberville, to show that shot coaches are not nan dumbest people," Walz said during a fundraiser arena successful Boston successful early August.

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