ROGERS, Minn., Feb. 19 (UPI) -- A Minnesota high school athlete's online post joking about having sex with a gym teacher has resulted in a controversial two-month suspension, officials said.
Reid Sagehorn, 17, and captain of the Rogers High School football and basketball teams, was suspended for two months Tuesday after posting a response on a well known, generally anonymous school message forum that he "actually, yes" had sex with a 28-year-old female gym teacher. Friends and supporters said the comment was an innocent joke but school administrators -- and possibly local police -- said it was no laughing matter.
Sagehorn was suspended and police said they have referred the case to the Hennepin County Prosecutor's office for consideration of criminal harassment charges, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported Wednesday.
Students at the school have mounted a social media campaign, turning to Twitter with the hashtag #FreeReid.
Lost in the student uproar over Sagehorn's suspension, school officials said the teacher was humiliated at the crass online exchange about her appearance, saying she was "bullied" by students at the school.
"The teacher involved, she did absolutely nothing wrong," Elk River Area Schools Superintendent Mark Bezek said. "In the cyberworld, she's getting crucified. Our staff members wonder: 'Is this going to happen to me?' "
