‘I’m a fighter.’ Coach Tony Rasmus opens up about Russell County baseball controversy
Russell County baseball head coach Tony Rasmus said he was surprised the school board rejected the superintendent’s recommendation to fire him, but he balks at the suspension the board gave him.
“I’m pleased they didn’t terminate me, … but I’m not sitting here like I won a huge victory,” he told the Ledger-Enquirer. “… I’m disappointed with the whole process. … It just eats me up.”
Last month, a jury found Rasmus not guilty of a Class A misdemeanor of third-degree assault, the verdict a county judge reached in a June trial after a player accused the coach of choking him. The jurors concluded Rasmus is guilty of the lesser offense of harassment, for touching the player during the Feb. 16 confrontation.
His sentencing was set for Nov. 22, but Rasmus attorney Jim McKoon told the L-E he expects the sentencing to be rescheduled because he won’t be available that week. The maximum punishment for the harassment conviction is 90 days in the county jail and a $500 fine, McKoon said.
At an Oct. 28 hearing stretching into the wee hours of the next day, the school board rejected superintendent Brenda Coley’s request to fire Rasmus. Instead, the board voted 4-1 to suspend Rasmus without pay until June 30. He had been suspended with pay since March 2, the same day Rasmus turned himself in at the Russell County Sheriff’s Office and made bond on the assault charge.
Asked whether he would try to coach baseball elsewhere, Rasmus said he’d rather fight for this job.
“No doubt about it,” he said. “… If I had done anything wrong in this situation, I would have left a long time ago.”
Rasmus, 55, coached Russell County to the 2005 Alabama Class 5A state title and a Phenix City all-star team to the 1999 U.S. championship and runner-up finish in the Little League World Series. He played three seasons in the minor leagues during the 1980s. Three of his four sons also played professional baseball.
One of those sons, Cyle, has been in charge of the program since Rasmus was suspended.
The incident
Lawyers for the prosecution and defense differ about what happened between Rasmus and the player, but they agree about how the incident started.
It occurred during the Warriors’ home game Feb. 16 against Rehobeth High School. After the player made an error, Cyle, an assistant coach, pulled him out of the game.
The player threw his cap and glove in the dugout and cursed, Rasmus told the L-E.
“I got no problem with that,” Rasmus said. “He’s a fiery kid. That’s what makes him a good player. … But he turned around and had both fists clenched at Cyle. I was like, ‘Uh oh.’”
Rasmus approached the player.
“I called his name three times, but he never looked at me,” Rasmus said. “He was still looking at Cyle. … I reached up and put two fingers on his chin to turn his head … so he could look at me. … It was like half a second.”
Chief Assistant District Attorney Rick Chancey told the L-E an eighth-grader watching the game supports the player’s contention that Rasmus choked him.
Rasmus insists his actions are similar to what is common between high school coaches and athletes
“If I can’t touch him on the chin,” he said, “… we can arrest three or four football coaches every day.”
Board’s action
Board president Eugenia Upshaw, vice president Kenneth Barnes, Barbara Clark and Tommy Pugh are the board members who voted to suspend Rasmus without pay until June 30, meaning he can’t coach the Warriors during the 2022 season.
Board member Tim Simpson recused himself, and Joseph Williams was absent.
“I felt like we should have reached a settlement that allowed us to see if progress was being made,” Keith Mitchell, who cast the lone opposing vote, told the L-E. “Under the current settlement, we don’t see any activity until next school year. That’s a long time to go without any exposure.”
Termination would have been excessive, Mitchell said.
“Our policy has us to consider at what level of harassment was this,” he said. “What was the intent of the harassment? And I felt like, based on the chain of events, that there was nothing premeditated. There was nothing that lingered on. The child went back into the ballgame. … That should have been the end of the whole thing.”
Regardless of the opinions, Mitchell wants the controversy to be put to rest.
“After this thing has been dragged through the court system and through our system, I hope everybody lets bygones be bygones and we move forward,” he said. “That’s the best thing for the district.”
Coley didn’t reply to the L-E’s phone messages and emails before publication.
What’s next
Rasmus’ legal team is exploring their options for appealing the suspension, McKoon said.
“We thought that he’s kind of already been punished enough, so to speak, even though we continue to maintain his innocence,” McKoon said. “We see no reason for any action, except to deny the termination and put him back to work.”
Rasmus has worked for 23 years in the Alabama public school system, so he needs only two more years to receive a full retirement package from the state. He intends for those two years to remain the head baseball coach and weightlifting teacher at Russell County High School.
“I’m a fighter,” he said.
Since 2000, Rasmus said, he has helped 70 players earn college scholarships, including 25 in NCAA Division I. Major League Baseball teams have drafted 19 of his players, including four in the first round, he said.
“I’d like to think I’ve done a positive job in the community as far as the success our kids have had,” he said. “… I think I deserve to be treated fairly, not preferential treatment by any stretch. … I work extremely hard.”
Now, the attention his program receives seems more from lawyers than scouts.
“To have everything ruined about your character, your reputation, … it’s hard to chew on it,” he said. “… I’m proud of Russell County baseball. I’m proud of Russell County High School. … If I walk away, I think (the program) will fall apart. I’m not going to let that happen if I can help it.”
Staff writer Tim Chitwood contributed to this report.
