‘That’s a problem’: Center Square editor speaks out on teen wrestler’s alleged assault by biological male

Following reports of a teen athlete in Puyallup allegedly being sexually violated by a biological male during a wrestling match, concerns were raised after the school district failed to report the allegations in a timely manner.

Carleen Johnson, The Center Square’s Washington associate editor, detailed the incident involving Kallie Keeler, who is a Rogers High School athlete, and explained why she would want the same transparency for her own child.

“[Keeler’s] been a wrestler since she was little. She was at a school meet. Didn’t know she was wrestling against a boy much larger than her,” Johnson told “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “Her assertion is that while he’s in the process of pinning her and has a hand between her legs, he spent a little bit more time in the inner regions than he should have.

“You can actually see in the video that she’s looking over at her mom, who’s videotaping, thinking, ‘Oh my God. Like, what’s happening? I’ve just been sexually assaulted.’ The problem is, she told the school two days later, and they didn’t tell police until January 30, so that’s a problem,” Johnson continued.

Puyallup School District accused of failing to act

Brandi Kruse noted the Puyallup School District’s (PSD) failure to report the allegations to the police in her “unDivided” podcast, mentioning that four PSD officials did not act on the report in a manner consistent with state law.

Johnson labeled the incident a “problem” and spoke for herself and other parents seeking greater transparency in youth sports.

“In this case, this girl thought she was wrestling another girl. She didn’t know until later that he was a biological male. That’s a problem, right there,” Johnson said. “We should tell these young women, because she might not have felt comfortable doing that to begin with. She’s never wrestled a boy before.

“I would want my daughter to know, right? As a volleyball player, I’d want to know that the guy who’s going to be blocking her could break her nose with the strength of his swing,” Johnson continued. “I want to know so that I can help her make a decision whether she wants to compete against that boy or not. I want to know.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

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