Paul Mann, head coach of the Kasson-Mantorville wrestling team, won't be coaching for at least a year after the district's school board suspended him this week.
The board handed Mann a one-year suspension after an investigation found he violated Minnesota State High School League rules about recruiting student athletes, said Kasson-Mantorville Superintendent Peter Grant.
The district was notified of a potential violation of two MSHSL bylaws and conducted an investigation into the matter, Grant said. They forwarded the information on to the league, he said, and at the end of June the eligibility committee decided to support the findings of the investigation and recommend a suspension.
During its meeting Wednesday, the school board decided to follow that recommendation and suspended Mann. He will have to come before the school board again at the end of his suspension and request to start coaching again, Grant said.
The suspension will not affect Mann's teaching position at Kasson-Mantorville Middle School.
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Grant declined to elaborate on the circumstances of Mann's recruitment violation, but said that other adults not connected with the school district were also involved.
"We had an accusation against our district, we investigated it, we turned in the information and the state high school league responded accordingly," Grant said. "It's not something we're real thrilled about talking about, but it is what it is."
The Kasson-Mantorville wrestling team was 25-9 this past season and went to the state tournament, where it lost in the semifinals.
