Charges won’t be filed against Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman in alleged wrestling invite incident

Prosecutors have decided not to pursue charges against Notre Dame head football coach Marcus Freeman following a battery allegation made during a high school wrestling event earlier this month, the South Bend Tribune reported.

According to the newspaper, police in Mishawaka, Indiana, investigated a complaint made by New Prairie assistant wrestling coach Chris Fleeger, accusing Freeman of battery at a wrestling tournament at Mishawaka High School on Jan. 3.

Freeman was in attendance to support his son, Vinny, a senior wrestler at Penn High School.

The Tribune reported an altercation allegedly occurred after Vinny lost his match and was being escorted out of the gym by Freeman and Penn head coach Brad Harper.

“Fleeger allegedly began exchanging words with the group” before Freeman walked through the doorway into the hallway,” the publication stated. There, police said “claims of physical contact allegedly occurred” between him and Fleeger.

According to the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office, the complainant, Fleeger, told officers he was approached by a person who said something he could not recall, and that person gave him a “two-handed push.” Fleeger learned the person who allegedly shoved him was Freeman.

The newspaper reported Fleeger later told investigators he believed Freeman was “rich” and he was going to hire an attorney.

Police obtained video of the incident, which showed Freeman moving to leave a crowded gym with his son. As Freeman walked toward the doors, Fleeger moved from his position near the doors and approached Freeman, who turned toward him and paused for a second. Freeman then left the auditorium.

While Freeman’s right arm was not fully visible in the video, his left hand remained in a pocket during the interaction, the newspaper reported.

“The video does not support the claim that Mr. Freeman gave the Complainant a ‘two handed push’ nor that the Complainant stumbled backwards after the incident as originally alleged by the Complainant and his acquaintances,” the prosecutor’s office said in the statement, in part.

The Tribune reported several witnesses told police any contact between Freeman and Fleeger was not “forceful.”  Freeman was also interviewed by officers and did not recall making contact with Fleeger.

The University of Notre Dame issued a statement after the Tribune’s initial story on Sunday, saying no physical contact occurred.

“Vinny Freeman, head coach Marcus Freeman’s son, was verbally accosted during and after his wrestling match by a local wrestling coach,” the university’s statement read. “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 unfounded.”