E-Paper
Who is Vinny Freeman? Marcus Freeman's son at the center of row over high-school wrestling match
Vinny Freeman’s wrestling match sparked a dispute between his coach Chris Fleeger and father Marcus Freeman, with assault claims denied by Notre Dame.
Marcus Freeman, the head coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, has landed in a controversy over allegedly assaulting Chris Fleeger, New Prairie High School wrestling coach. While Fleeger filed a police report alleging battery against Marcus Freeman, the Notre Dame Athletics has released a statement denying the claims.
The incident happened at a high-school wrestling event at Mishawaka High School, Indiana, where Vinny Freeman, a student at Penn High School, was competing. Per a statement released by Notre Dame Athletics, Fleeger reportedly verbally accosted Vinny.
Marcus and his wife, Jonna Freeman, were present at the event to watch their son. They intervened with Fleeger, verbally accosting their son, and an altercation broke out. While Fleeger filed a police report claiming he was assaulted by Marcus Freeman, per the South Ben Tribune, Notre Dame said no physical altercation took place.
Who Is Vinny Freeman?
Vinny Freeman is a senior wrestler at Penn High School in Mishawaka, Indiana, competing at 175 pounds. Vinny Freeman ranks No. 1 at semi-state, No. 5 at state level, and competes in regionals like Rochester and East Chicago. In recent matches, he faced New Prairie's Hayden Whitenack in the 175 pounds, 1st place bout, where the altercation between Marcus Freeman and Chris Fleeger took place. Vinny Freeman has a strong 15-2 record this season.
The incident between Marcus Freeman and Chris Fleeger took place at an event hosted by the Al Smith Wrestling Invitational hosted in New Prairie. Vinny Freeman, after getting past opponents like Elijah Carter, lost a match to Hanover Central's Israel Sinnott.
It sparked a verbal altercation first between Vinny and Fleeger, the assistant coach at New Prairie High School. Marcus and Jonna Freeman later got involved, as per the Notre Dame Athletics.
What Notre Dame Said
Notre Dame Athletics released a statement on Sunday saying that there was no physical altercation between Marcus Freeman and Chris Fleeger.
“Vinny Freeman, head coach Marcus Freeman’s son, was verbally accosted during and after his wrestling match by a local wrestling coach,” the 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.
