Flag Football Coach Arrested on Strangulation Charge

Brandon Mayer, a 37-year-old youth flag football coach, was arrested on a felony battery-by-strangulation charge after a fight involving players at a postgame handshake line in Wellington, Florida. His teenage daughter was also arrested on a misdemeanor battery charge. Neither has been convicted. The confrontation occurred October 20 at Greenview Shores Park after a game. According to a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office probable-cause affidavit, the head referee said Mayer’s daughter grabbed an opposing player by the hair and pulled her to the ground. The referee then reported seeing Mayer put an arm around the player’s neck. The group fell to the ground after the opposing player’s father intervened. An independent witness also told investigators they saw Mayer’s arm around the player’s neck, and the player reported losing oxygen, the affidavit says. Investigators cited those accounts in finding probable cause for the strangulation charge. The player was taken to Palms West Hospital for evaluation and had a red scratch on her stomach, according to the affidavit. Her father reported pain after being kicked but had no visible injuries. Mayer denied choking the player. In an...