A Castlegar lacrosse coach has been suspended for 10 years by the BC Lacrosse Association (BCLA) following an incident involving a player at the under-13 provincial championships held July 3-6 in Port Coquitlam.
Peter Youngblut will no longer be allowed to coach the West Kootenay Minor Lacrosse Association (WKMLA) U13 team involved in the incident or the Junior B team he also coaches. The suspension extends to any team under the BCLA's authority.
Castlegar News previously received a copy of a video that appears to show a coach kicking a player on the bench at the tournament, which BCLA confirmed is the same video that was entered into evidence for the suspension hearing.
Youngblut was first given an immediate temporary suspension after BCLA representatives met with him and the family of the athlete shortly after the alleged incident.
In a July interview, Youngblut told Castlegar News that he has been involved with almost every team in the WKMLA and has dedicated his life to youth sports including local hockey and sitting on several youth sports boards.
WKMLA, which previously said it was co-operating with BCLA during the investigation, did not respond to a request for comment from the Castlegar News following Youngblut's latest suspension.
Castlegar News has also reached out to Youngblut for comment, but did not receive a response by press time.
