Baldwin coach says he will work with player fighting in viral video, not ‘throw him away’

By: Chris Harlan
Monday, September 22, 2025 | 8:10 PM

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Baldwin football coach Dana Brown Jr. saw the social media comments saying he should immediately kick a player off the team for unsportsmanlike actions captured Friday in a viral video.

Brown strongly disagrees.

The third-year coach condemned the player’s actions — twisting the helmet off an opponent and taking a swing with his right hand — but Brown said that sports and coaching are all about learning from tough times.

“It’s important that we help these young men navigate into adulthood,” said Brown, who also mentors student-athletes through a nonprofit he oversees called Status. “After making this mistake, messing up and doing something that’s totally unacceptable, you can’t just throw him away or throw him to the wolves.

“I could never turn my head away from (a player in need), especially coming from the environment I grew up in and the kids I work with.”

Baldwin was playing a nonconference game at Elizabeth Forward and lost 57-0.

Video recorded from the bleachers starts with the Baldwin player lined up at wide receiver across from an Elizabeth Forward defensive back. The EF player is twisted to the ground by his facemask, dislodging his helmet, and then is struck in the back of the head by the Baldwin player.

The exchange lasted about five seconds.

The Elizabeth Forward player later called the incident “unacceptable” in a social media post, but added that he was “fine,” harbored no anger and wished Baldwin “the best of luck the rest of the season.”

The Baldwin player faces discipline. Players ejected from a contest are automatically suspended for one or two games under PIAA rules. Brown said the Baldwin-Whitehall School District also will decide what discipline would be appropriate, but he stressed that the player would remain a part of the team into the future.

“He’s shown a lot of remorse,” Brown said. “I’ve talked to him the last three days and helped him identify the issues. Regardless of whatever he says occurred (before that moment), it doesn’t make it right. He’s going through the process, learning from it and growing from it.”

The altercation created buzz on social media before the game was over, but the controversy grew significantly once national outlets such as Barstool Sports shared the video. Barstool has 6.7 million followers on X.

Facemask with a side of assault pic.twitter.com/7N0NlZ7Bfy

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 20, 2025

Brown said he knew the video went viral once he started getting messages from friends and acquaintances, including some who’d played football professionally.

“They were asking, ‘Dang, what’s going on over there?’” Brown said. “Unfortunately, that’s the way social media and the internet work nowadays.”

Brown shared his thoughts in a statement posted to his X account on Saturday, extending an apology to the Elizabeth Forward team, the community and Warriors coach John DeMarco.

“The actions of one individual should not overshadow the outstanding performances, sportsmanship and hard work displayed by their team,” Brown wrote on X, calling his player’s actions “110% unacceptable.”

In regard to UNACCEPTABLE actions. pic.twitter.com/XJce278MIe

— Dana Brown Jr. (@BW_CoachDane) September 20, 2025

“Sports are filled with emotion, and learning to manage those emotions is a critical part of athletic and personal development,” Brown added.

A 2009 McKeesport graduate who played football at Kent State, Brown works as the secondary dean of students at his high school alma mater.

The 34-year-old started his nonprofit with cousin Ty-Meer Brown, the Woodland Hills athletic director. The focus is on helping student-athletes handle life, sports and education.

“There are so many kids out there that need guidance,” Brown said. “My role as not just a coach but as a mentor is to guide the young men into becoming a proud father, a proud husband, all those types of things. By throwing them away at 16 years old, they don’t reach that potential.”

Brown was hired in 2023 to coach a Baldwin football program that has struggled for years.

The Highlanders play in Class 5A — the second largest classification — but Brown said this year’s roster has only around 30 players. They won their first game with Brown as coach but have lost 24 straight since.

They’re 0-5 this year.

“The (players) work their butts off, week in and week out,” Brown said. “They understand that we’re building toward something. We’ve been in a tough spot way before me.”

He said not a lopsided loss nor a viral video captures the team he sees every day.

“There are kids here who love football,” Brown said. “It’s unfortunate that everyone doesn’t believe in these kids like I believe in them. I’ll go to bat for any of them.”

He said that applies even when critics say he should get rid of one.

“Me as a competitor, I like a challenge,” Brown said. “If a kid needs someone to help guide them, I want to make sure I’m up to that challenge.”

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: Baldwin