Tim Walz allegedly told high school football player struggling with crime and alcohol to keep playing

Tim Walz is pressed on CBS about the derisive remarks by President Biden about Trump supporters and whether it undercuts the Harris campaign's unity message.

Minnesota Governor and vice presidential candidate Tim Walz's high school football coaching career was the subject of a recent article in The Ringer. 

One of Walz's former players on the 1998 Mankato West team shared details of his interactions with Walz while dealing with alcoholism and issues with the law. 

Former Mankato West linebacker Dan Clement told The Ringer that he began to experiment with alcohol when he was in high school. Then, the summer between his junior and senior year, Clement said he was arrested multiple times for underage drinking. Clement had a suspension from football to begin his final high school season and said he decided "I’m just not going to play at all."

But Clement said Walz repeatedly approached him in the hallways that year and told the teenager, "We need you."

"He knew I was struggling," Clement told the outlet, adding that Walz told him, "I don’t care about that other stuff."

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Democratic vice presidential nominee, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks at a get-out-the-vote rally on October 22, 2024, in Madison, Wisconsin. Wisconsin polls open today for in-person early voting.  (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Clement said, after Walz's intervention, that he eventually returned to the team for the second half of the season. 

However, Clement said he did not get sober until a full decade after Walz pushed him to return to the field for his final season, The Ringer reported. Still, Clement thanked Walz for his impact on his life. 

"The caring attention he gave, that positive support