Notre Dame’s Freeman won’t face charges for incident at son’s wrestling tournament

Posted January 12, 2026 7:17 pm

By Pete Sampson

St. Joseph County (Ind.) prosecutors won’t file charges against Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman following an altercation at a high school wrestling meet on Jan. 3.

On Monday, the prosecutor’s office finished an investigation into the incident after a police report was filed following a complaint by Chris Fleeger, an assistant wrestling coach at New Prairie High School. Fleeger said Freeman shoved him at the Al Smith Invitational at Mishawaka High School, where Freeman’s oldest son, Vinny, competed for Penn High School. Detectives from the Mishawaka Police Department led the investigation, which included video from the gym and interviews with witnesses, including Fleeger.

“After reviewing the Mishawaka Police Department’s investigation into this incident, the Prosecutor’s Office has determined that no criminal battery occurred,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement. “As such, no criminal charges will be filed against Mr. Freeman.”

Notre Dame denied the allegations in a statement Sunday, stating that Vinny Freeman was “verbally accosted” during and after the match and that Marcus Freeman and his wife, Joanna, removed their son after the event. The statement also said “at no point did Coach Freeman physically engage with anyone” at the wrestling meet.

During its investigation, which included viewing video surveillance of the wrestling meets, prosecutors determined there was physical contact between Freeman and Fleeger but did not deem it to be intentional, nor did it match Fleeger’s accounting of the incident.

Fleeger told officers that Freeman gave him a “two-handed push” without motivation and did not know the identity of Notre Dame’s head coach at the time of the incident. But in follow-up interviews, Fleeger said he did recognize Freeman, noting that the Notre Dame head coach was “rich” and that Fleeger planned to hire an attorney.

The Mishawaka police interviewed two acquaintances of Fleeger, and each described the incident with Freeman differently. One said Freeman struck Fleeger with an open hand. Another said Freeman struck Fleeger with enough force to send Fleeger backward. The prosecutor’s office said video of the incident did not support either claim.

Investigators also interviewed Freeman, who acknowledged knowing Fleeger. Freeman said he told Fleeger to stop talking to his son and other wrestlers and that he did not remember making any physical contact.

“Based on a review of all of the evidence, the State would not be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime occurred,” the prosecutor’s office said. “While the evidence suggests that a touching may have occurred, an inadvertent touching is not sufficient. The State is therefore declining to file any criminal charges.”