HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — For the first time ever, a female football player has broken through to play on the offensive line at Deep Run High School.
Coming off of a victory from last week’s football game against Mechanicsville, junior varsity team captain, Malini Dutta, has her eyes set on their next match.
“It’s just somewhere I can take my anger out,” she said. “It’s just a really fun sport to play and watch.”
This is her second season as a player on the football team, and she’s the first female in the school’s history to ever start a game on the offensive line.
Dutta, a sophomore, said she previously played soccer but wanted to do something different.
“I was always a sports person growing up and I just wanted something to do,” she said. “There [were] football games going on and one thought led to another and I decided to join the football team.”
Her parents were initially shocked, but supportive. So was the team’s head coach, Joe Mullinax, who has been coaching at Deep Run for three seasons.
“It wasn’t something she wanted to do to just be funny,” Mullinax said. “It was a goal of hers to be the best athlete that she could possibly be, and [it] was very refreshing to see that — from anybody, much less a girl in a male-dominated sport.”
Dutta said her teammates have embraced her and made her feel welcome.
“They’ve been really supportive. They talk to me at school, at practice,” she said. “They’re just really good people.”
Dutta plays two positions as a defensive end and a fullback.
“As a defensive end, she’s going against some of the biggest kids on the team,” Mullinax said. “She’s aggressive in the best way and she’s made us better.”
Not only is Dutta a strong athlete but she’s winning off the field too.
The sophomore started a sports injury prevention program called Par 4 Play in which she works with medical professionals to identify ways to lower the risk of players getting hurt. Dutta said she hopes to implement it in the NFL one day and in schools nationwide as a sports doctor.
“I found some mentors and sports medical therapists to help me make this program for people who don’t have access to sports injury prevention programs,” she said. “It helps you prevent injuries, but also helps you enhance your performance in general as a football player.”
In the meantime, her courage has started paving the way for other girls to play.
“I was always a sports person growing up and I just wanted something to do,” Malini Dutta said. (Photo: Brad Vassar, 8News)
“She’s a hero to my daughters. I have an almost eight-year-old and a five-year-old. When they come to games, the first person they look for is Malini,” Mullinax said.
“A lot of people have doubted me and where I am right now, but I don’t let that get to me,” Dutta said. “I still work hard. I work every day. I changed a lot of things. I’ve gained 50 pounds since last season, and so if I can do it — so can any other girl who wants to play football.”
Deep Run High School’s Junior Varsity Football Team is playing its next game against Atlee High School on Wednesday, Aug. 30, at 7 p.m.
