BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Onondaga County District Attorney's Office is reviewing evidence in connection to Bennett High School officials being thrown out of a recent high school playoff game in Syracuse.
The sheriff's office said they believe deputies did nothing wrong when escorting school officials off the field.
There is bodycam footage of the incident. The sheriff's office said that affidavits submitted by school officials accusing deputies of assault do not match the evidence.
The Onondaga County District Attorney will now determine whether a false report was filed, and if charges should be filed against school officials.
"The video shows the accused deputy entering the field until he exited; the coach was never assaulted or harassed. Our Deputies that evening did an excellent job maintaining the peace in a stressful situation," Onondaga County Sheriff's Department public information officer Thomas Newton said in a statement.
Onondaga County Sheriff Toby Shelley also issued a statement Thursday about the sequence of events that included Bennett football coach Steve McDuffie and Michael House, Buffalo's assistant superintendent for athletics.
"The Sheriff’s Office will request the District Attorney's Office to review the affidavits and evidence to determine if they will proceed with criminal prosecution of the two coaches and the Assistant Athletic Director for filing a false report," Shelley said, adding that all questions going forward be directed to the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office.
Newton said there was no wrongdoing by law enforcement officials at the game.
"At no point during the deputy's duties did either Deputy become aggressive, abusive, or assault Coach McDuffie," he said. "The body worn cameras alone show the professionalism that is expected from our Police Deputies and further shows de-escalation of a situation from a coach and staff acting aggressively."