Notre Dame releases statement after battery claims involving head coach Marcus Freeman

The University of Notre Dame has firmly denied allegations that football coach Marcus Freeman assaulted a high school wrestling coach during an incident at a youth tournament earlier this month, saying video evidence clears him of any wrongdoing.

The accusation stems from a police report filed by Chris Fleeger, an assistant wrestling coach at New Prairie High School, following a Jan. 3 incident at the Al Smith Wrestling Invitational at Mishawaka High School. Freeman was attending the event to support his son, Vinny, a senior wrestler at Penn High School who will be attending Cornell in the fall.  (per the South Bend Tribune).

Notre Dame issued a statement Sunday disputing the claim and backing its head coach: “Vinny Freeman, head coach Marcus Freeman’s son, was verbally accosted during and after his wrestling match by a local wrestling coach. Marcus and Joanna Freeman intervened and removed Vinny from the situation. At no point did Coach Freeman physically engage with anyone. We believe that the police report, which includes video evidence, fully exonerates Coach Freeman and makes clear these accusations are totally unfounded.”

According to reports, the confrontation occurred after Vinny Freeman lost his match and was being escorted from the gym. Police documents indicate that words were exchanged in a hallway involving Fleeger and members of the Freeman family before law enforcement and school officials separated the parties. Mishawaka police investigated the matter and forwarded their findings to the local prosecutor’s office. While university sources say no charges are expected, officials have not publicly confirmed whether a final decision has been made.

Freeman, 40, recently completed another successful season leading the Fighting Irish and signed a restructured contract placing him among the highest-paid coaches in college football after drawing interest from NFL teams.

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