A postgame handshake line at a Wellington rec flag football game ended with a coach charged with felony strangulation and his teenage daughter charged with battery, according to a Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office arrest report cited by WPEC (CBS12).
Brandon Mayer, 37, coached the UCF Knights, who won the Oct. 20 game 6-0 at Greenview Shores Park. He was arrested Oct. 28 and charged with felony battery by strangulation.
What the report says:
- The fight started between two players during the handshake line. A referee told deputies one player grabbed another by the hair and pulled her to the ground.
- Per the report, Mayer stepped in and put a 15-year-old player from the opposing team in a chokehold.
- The teen's father, who coaches her team, told deputies the hold lasted about 15 seconds. He said she stayed conscious but struggled to breathe.
- He then jumped in, and the group went to the ground. Deputies say Mayer's 16-year-old daughter kicked him in the face with a cleat.
- Fire rescue took the teen to Palms West Hospital for evaluation.
- Mayer's daughter was charged with misdemeanor battery.
- Mayer's bond was set at $7,500.
The other side
Mayer told deputies he was only trying to separate the two players and denied grabbing anyone by the neck. His daughter told deputies she grabbed the other player by the shirt, and that her father wrapped his arms around her shoulders and upper body to pull her away. She said she kicked her legs trying to break free.
Investigators cited an independent witness who saw Mayer's arm around the teen, plus the teen's own account of trouble breathing, as the basis for probable cause on the strangulation charge.
How they found him
Mayer and his daughter left the park before deputies arrived, but a parent photographed their license plate and gave it to the sheriff's office, per the probable cause affidavit. Investigators then confirmed Mayer was the Knights' coach, and a deputy went to his Lake Worth-area home eight days after the game.
Aftermath
The teen told CBS12 she went into the fight-ending scuffle after trash talk over the loss, and that she has bruising and is still recovering physically and emotionally. Her father told the station the incident was terrifying for everyone who watched. The family says the league has permanently removed Mayer and his daughter. The teen's father said he has pulled his team out of the league over safety concerns.
Both Mayer and his daughter face charges that have not been resolved in court.
Source: WPEC