Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman has found himself at the center of a police investigation after being accused of battery at a high school wrestling event.
Freeman, who earns over $9 million a year and has recently been linked with multiple NFL head coaching jobs, attended his son’s competition at Mishawaka High School on January 3.
While there, he allegedly became involved in an altercation with New Prairie High School wrestling assistant coach Chris Fleeger, who has since filed a police report accusing Freeman of battery.
In a furious statement released to the South Bend Tribune on Sunday, Notre Dame Athletics is denying that any physical contact occurred and claims there is video evidence to support that.
‘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.’
Marcus Freeman is confident of being ‘fully exonerated’ after accusations of battery
It is alleged Freeman (left) and his wife Joanna (right) were involved in an incident while watching their son compete in a wrestling competition
Mishakawa Police is said to have passed the completed report to the prosecutor’s office to determine if any charges will be filed against the Notre Dame head coach.
Vinny, 17, is a Penn High School senior – who has recently committed to Cornell for 2026 – and was competing for his wrestling team at the Al Smith Wrestling Invitational when the incident occurred.
Per the police report, it is alleged that Vinny lost his match against Hanover Central senior Israel Sinnott and was then escorted from the mat by his father Marcus and Penn head coach Brad Harper.
It is at that point that words were exchanged between the group and Fleeger, which then allegedly turned physical as Freeman walked into the hallway.
Police did not disclose the extent of the alleged physical contact, while it is also claimed that Freeman’s wife Joanna – Vinny’s mother – engaged in a shouting match with Fleeger, before law enforcement and school officials broke the two groups up.
While Freeman and his family were not asked to leave the premises, they did so, and Vinny was one of just two competing athletes not present on the podium from the 112 eligible, per reports.
Vinny Freeman, who recently committed to Cornell, was competing for Penn State
Freeman has seven children, six with his current wife Joanna (all are pictured above)
Freeman is not the first high-paid college football coach to find himself embroiled in off-field legal drama in recent months, after then-Michigan HC Sherrone Moore was fired and arrested on December 10.
After an internal school investigation found evidence of him having an ‘inappropriate relationship with a staff member’, he was arrested on stalking and home invasion charges.
Moore is alleged to have threatened self-harm after forcing entry to the woman’s home and grabbing a set of kitchen utensils, before fleeing and later being arrested by police in the parking lot of a local church.
He has since been released on a $25,000 bond and is scheduled to be back in court later this month.
Meanwhile, Freeman’s fame has skyrocketed since he became head coach of the Notre Dame football team in December 2021.
Sherrone Moore was arrested for stalking and home invasion after being fired by Michigan
Moore is pictured with his wife Kelli, who has stuck with him despite his affair with a staffer
He has improved the team each year, getting to a national championship in 2024, and he has been linked with several NFL head coaching roles over the past few months.
Perhaps the most intriguing was that of the New York Giants, but Freeman announced his intention to stay with the Fighting Irish in December.
‘2026… run it back,’ he posted on X, adding: ‘Go Irish.’
Sports Illustrated reported that he informed several interested NFL teams of his intentions, and also signed an improved contract in South Bend to put him in the ‘top tier’ of college football coaches.
Despite that, NFL insiders reported this week that teams have ‘basically ignored’ his commitment to Notre Dame and will continue to pursue him.
‘These teams that view him highly still believe there is a chance that he comes to the NFL. They still believe he is a top tier candidate,’ Ian Rapoport reported.
