NDSU Football Player Dismissed After Alleged Theft of Designer Bag, $228,000 Rolex From Boat
William Frattalone, 20, is due in court Thursday on accusations he took a bag containing more than $270,000 in valuables during a Fourth of July outing in Excelsior, Minnesota.
North Dakota State University dismissed a 20-year-old football player after authorities say he stole a designer bag containing a Rolex valued at $228,000 and other high-end items during a Fourth of July boat outing in Excelsior, Minnesota.
William Frattalone is scheduled to appear in court Thursday on allegations contained in a complaint filed Aug. 27 that he took a bag with more than $270,000 worth of belongings, including limited-edition clothing valued at about $25,000. The complaint says the theft occurred amid a gathering docked near Maynards Restaurant on Lake Minnetonka.
According to the complaint, the victim placed his bag in a secured cabin on a friend’s boat while dining on land. When the party returned to the boat, the bag was missing. The complaint states Frattalone at some point boarded the boat and later attempted to enter Maynards with the bag but was stopped by staff because of the restaurant’s strict bag policy. Employees escorted him to the parking lot when he said he needed to take the bag to his car, after which he left the premises, the complaint says.
A fellow passenger on the boat later contacted Frattalone about the missing bag; the complaint alleges he shrugged off the inquiry and told the passenger his parents would "write a check for whatever was inside the bag." A search warrant executed at Frattalone’s Minnesota residence turned up the missing bag and most of the clothing, but the Rolex was not recovered, the complaint states. Investigators also found a July 4 video on Frattalone’s phone showing the docked boat and the area where several bags had been stowed.
NDSU head coach Tim Polasek confirmed the school’s football program dismissed Frattalone and that he "will not be considered to re-join the team in any fashion," according to a report by KVRR. Frattalone had not seen any playing time for the Bison.
The dismissal makes Frattalone the second member of the Division I program to be removed from the team in about a year. Last September, linebacker Jaiden Pickett was sentenced to three years in prison after accidentally firing a gun inside a home while threatening another athlete. Local reporting said Pickett and Frattalone had been involved in a physical altercation with the same track athlete before the gun discharge; authorities reported no injuries and Frattalone did not face charges in that matter.
The complaint filed Aug. 27 sets forth the allegations now before a judge; Frattalone is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. Law enforcement and the university have not released information about possible criminal charges beyond the details in the complaint. The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office was involved in the investigation.
Frattalone’s court appearance Thursday will be the next step in the legal process. The university and the NDSU football program did not provide additional comment beyond the coach’s statement. Authorities have not publicly confirmed the current location of the missing Rolex.
The case adds to a series of off-field incidents that have drawn attention to the NDSU program’s conduct and disciplinary processes. The university has emphasized adherence to team policies and cooperation with law enforcement in prior statements surrounding player misconduct, and the football program has taken roster action in response to criminal allegations in recent seasons.