WAHPETON, N.D. -- A North Dakota State College of Science football player has quit school after the head coach removed him from the team after revelations the player is homosexual.
Jamie Kuntz, 18, of Dickinson, N.D., was seen kissing his boyfriend in the press box by teammates on the sidelines, according to a story published on thestranger.com .
It is unknown what team violation Kuntz broke, but the report by Dan Savage says the former Wildcats student-athlete was reprimanded by coaches after a Sept. 1 road game in Pueblo, Colo.
After the game, NDSCS head coach Chuck Parsons pulled Kuntz off the team bus and confronted him, the report says. At that point, Kuntz denied kissing anyone and denied being gay.
Savage's report says Kuntz, who was not playing in the Wildcats' game against Snow College (of Ephraim, Utah) because of a concussion, elected to film the game for his team in the press box with his 65-year-old boyfriend from Denver.
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After the confrontation, a distraught Kuntz tweeted posts that had a suicidal themes and police were called to his dorm in Wahpeton, the report says.
After police determined Kuntz was not a suicide risk, Kuntz sent a text message to Parsons admitting he had kissed the male companion in the press box and that he indeed was gay, the report says.
Parsons summoned Kuntz into his office the next day for a meeting in which Kuntz was informed that his conduct was "detrimental" and a "distraction" to the Wildcats football program and would be kicked off the team for violation of team rules.
The letter Kuntz received detailing the reason for his dismissal states that: "The head coach reserves the right to dismiss any member for any conduct that is deemed detrimental to the team."
Being homosexual is not listed as grounds for dismissal from the football team in the North Dakota State College of Science player's manual, the report says. The manual does list several reasons, but has a clause which states that potential grounds for dismissal are not limited to the reasons detailed in the manual.
Kuntz was a defensive captain on the football team at Dickinson High School. He announced his decision to play at North Dakota State College of Science in January.
The Forum of Fargo, N.D., and the News Tribune are Forum Communications Co. newspapers.
