High School Football Coach Arrested, Accused of Bashing Teen With Helmet

The Ramapo High School coach has been stripped of his coaching duties

A high school football coach in upstate New York has been arrested and stripped of his coaching duties after allegedly bashing a teenage boy in the head with a helmet.

The 43-year-old coach, Duffman Pannell, was charged with second-degree assault and endangering the welfare of a child after the encounter on the field at Ramapo High School in Rockland County Monday, according to a criminal complaint.

The complaint said the 15-year-old boy was bleeding above his left eye, and suffered from pain and swelling afterward.

Pannell, a social studies teacher at Ramapo High School, had just started his job as the head coach of the football team this year. Team members said Pannell was already upset at practice Monday because of poor attendance when the boy said something the coach didn't like.

The East Ramapo School District said the coach has been removed from coaching while the issue was being investigated. 

Pannell did not immediately respond to a message left at his home.

Students who know Pannell and his wife, who is a guidance counselor at the school, said they've never seen him mistreat anyone. 

"I am surprised because Mr. Pannell doesn't seem like the type to do anything like that. I don't know what happened to trigger him," said senior Soraya Oliver.

--Jen Maxfield contributed to this report. 

Contact Us