Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said Wednesday that he was “confident” he wouldn’t face charges following a battery accusation that was made against him.
News emerged Sunday via the South Bend Tribune that an assistant high school wrestling coach accused Freeman of battery at a wrestling meet on Jan. 3. Freeman was not charged by the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office because prosecutors said they “would not be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime occurred.”
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Chris Fleeger claimed that Freeman pushed him while attending his son’s wrestling meet. Fleeger said that Freeman initiated a “two-hand push” against him. However, there was no evidence found to support Fleeger’s claim.
“A review of the video evidence does not support those assertions,” prosecutors said about an alleged push. “While the video of the incident is from a distance, officers were able to identify Mr. Freeman and the complainant. In the video officers were able to observe Mr. Freeman moving to leave a crowded gym with his son. The exit doors were partially blocked by other people. As Mr. Freeman walked toward the doors, the video shows the complainant moving from his position near the doors and approach Mr. Freeman. Mr. Freeman turned toward the complainant and paused for approximately one second. Mr. Freeman then left the auditorium at a walk.
“The video shows that while Mr. Freeman’s right arm is not fully visible, his left hand remained in a pocket during the interaction between the complainant and Mr. Freeman. The head and body movements of both the complainant and Mr. Freeman do not support the supposition that any violent physical contact occurred.”
In his opening remarks at his news conference on Wednesday, Freeman issued a lengthy statement regarding the accusation. After news of the accusation became public, Notre Dame immediately stood behind Freeman and said that video evidence would “fully exonerate” him.”
“First of all I want to thank Notre Dame for their support and immediate response to this matter. I’m grateful for their trust and defense of me even before the video evidence was released. I also want to thank Penn High School administration, the community and countless others who have reached out to me and my family.
“I want to commend the journalists who handled the reporting with integrity. I know many of you in this room were aware of the situation as it was unfolding and I appreciate your patience in not rushing to report without having all the facts and information.
“It is also important to me to express my extreme disappointment with one particular local media outlet and a reporter who I believe chose to do the opposite. Had they handled themselves more professionally and waited for more facts to become available, this would not have become a sensationalized story making national headlines.
“Because they chose not to do so, my family and I have been dragged through the mud unnecessarily with clickbait headlines. The reality is, I behaved in a respectful and professional manner while protecting my family and that should have been the only headline. Journalistic integrity should matter. Of holding ethical principles in news reporting with accuracy and fairness should matter.
“I know I am a public figure and I understand the scrutiny that comes with that. That scrutiny should not extend to my children or any other child of a public figure.
“Lastly, I want to thank the Mishawaka police department and St. Joseph County prosecutors for their efforts in this matter. They examined all the evidence, including video footage and witness statements and concluded that no criminal battery took place and that no charges should be filed.
“I was confident in this outcome because I know I did not intentionally touch anyone in a rude, angry or disrespectful way. I’m glad this matter has been thoroughly reviewed and resolved. Out of respect for everyone involved I won’t comment further and we’ll move forward with my family and team.”
Freeman also reiterated at his news conference that he was staying at Notre Dame. With nine NFL coaching jobs currently open, he has been mentioned as a possible candidate to go to the NFL. However, he said in December that he was staying at Notre Dame and continued that position on Wednesday.
“I didn’t have to reevaluate,” Freeman said. “Other people may say I reevaluated, I didn’t ever have to reevaluate. Again, the only statement was ‘Let’s run it back’ and I was intentional about that. I don’t need to come out with a statement every time one of these job openings happen. You know I always say the future is uncertain. That’s what I tell our players, that’s what I tell myself, it’s the reality of life. But everything I want and everything that I need personally can be achieved right here as the head coach of this program.
“And so I hope this is something we have to address every year. I really do, because it means we’re having a lot of success right here at Notre Dame. And if this isn’t something we have to address then there’s bigger issues within what we’re doing as a football program because as your program has success these type of things are going to occur.”
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