Will Tony Rasmus coach baseball again at Russell County? School district won’t say
Russell County School District officials will not say whether Tony Rasmus will coach baseball again in the district.
Rasmus on Monday was convicted of third-degree assault of one of his players, WRBL reported.
After hearing testimony during the bench trial, Russell County District Court Judge Zack Collins ordered Rasmus to pay a $500 fine and attend an anger management course, according to WRBL.
Rasmus’ lawyer, Jim McKoon, “respectfully” disagrees with the district court’s finding, he told the Ledger-Enquirer in an email.
“Tony Rasmus has consistently denied choking the juvenile who was in the baseball program for three and a half years with absolutely zero complaints,” McKoon said. “Further, there were several witnesses in the dugout who testified they witnessed the interaction between the juvenile, that Tony did not choke the kid and there was nothing to the incident.”
McKoon said an appeal will be filed Thursday morning in the Circuit Court of Russell County for a trial by jury.
“There are hundreds of former players who support Tony because of the positive effect he has had on their lives,” McKoon said. “He continues to maintain his innocence.”
It’s unclear how the conviction will affect Rasmus’ employment status. He continues to be on administrative leave with pay, McKoon said.
Russell County School District superintendent Brenda Coley announced that suspension March 3 after he was arrested following the Feb. 16 incident. Coley did not return the L-E’s multiple requests for comment this week before publication. Russell County High School principal Tonya Keene referred the L-E’s questions about Rasmus to Coley.
Rasmus, 55, coached a Phenix City all-star team to the 1999 U.S. championship and runner-up finish in the Little League World Series and won the 2005 Alabama Class 5A state title. He played three seasons in the minor leagues during the 1980s. Three of his four sons also played professional baseball.
This story was originally published June 17, 2021 at 11:33 AM.
