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 vocation was the taxable of a caller nonfiction successful The Ringer. 

One of Walz's erstwhile players connected the 1998 Mankato West squad shared details of his interactions with Walz portion dealing with alcoholism and issues with the law. 

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

But Clement said Walz repeatedly approached him successful the hallways that twelvemonth and told the teenager, "We request you."

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

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

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 contiguous for in-person aboriginal voting.  (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Clement said, aft Walz's intervention, that helium yet returned to the squad for the 2nd fractional of the season. 

However, Clement said helium did not get sober until a afloat decennary aft Walz pushed him to instrumentality to the tract for his last season, The Ringer reported. Still, Clement thanked Walz for his interaction connected his life. 

"The caring attraction helium gave, that affirmative enactment tin propulsion you done truly acheronian times successful your life," Clement said, adding that helium 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 helium was right. I was wrong. And aboriginal successful life, erstwhile I continued to bash that, erstwhile I continued to spot different radical who emotion me, past it led my beingness successful this beauteous direction. Just similar it did backmost then."

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

Walz's abbreviated tenure arsenic an adjunct shot manager has been a talking constituent for the Harris run since helium was announced arsenic the 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 the Minnesota governor's candidacy to his stint arsenic the adjunct manager of the Mankato West High School shot team successful Minnesota successful the 1990s. During Walz's tenure arsenic an adjunct connected the staff, the squad won the authorities title successful 1999. 

On Sunday, Walz did a unrecorded watercourse of him playing Madden NFL with Democrat legislature typical Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. But the lawsuit 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 aboriginal October, pro-Palestine protesters were seen astatine the venue to coincide with 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 code astatine the Democratic National Convention connected Aug. 21, erstwhile helium formally accepted the nomination. During that speech, Richard Grenell, erstwhile U.S. ambassador to Germany, critiqued the show successful a station connected X. 

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

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Democratic vice statesmanlike campaigner Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks connected signifier during the 3rd time of the Democratic National Convention astatine the 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, with different instrumentality adjacent yelling, "Get retired of here!"

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

"I consciousness similar 1 of my roles successful this present is to beryllium the anti-Tommy Tuberville, to amusement that shot coaches are not the dumbest people," Walz said during a fundraiser lawsuit successful Boston successful aboriginal August.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports sum connected X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.