Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman opened Wednesday’s press conference by addressing a recent incident at his son’s high school wrestling match during which he was accused of battery by a wrestling coach.
Reports first came out last Sunday that Chris Fleeger, a New Prairie High School assistant wrestling coach, had filed a police report accusing Freeman of battery. Fleeger alleged Freeman gave him a “two-handed push” after Freeman’s son Vinny’s match at a wrestling invitational on Jan. 3. Freeman was not charged after the accusations, the prosecutor’s office said in a statement Monday.
Notre Dame released a statement shortly after the initial reports in which the school immediately backed Freeman and insisted the accusations were “totally unfounded.”
On Wednesday, Freeman took the time to thank the school for their trust and support, the Mishawaka Police Department and the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office for their efforts in clearing his name, as well as the journalists who handled the story with “integrity.”
“First of all, I want to thank Notre Dame for their support and their immediate response to this matter. I’m grateful for their trust and defense of me, even before the video evidence was released,” Freeman said. “I also want to thank the 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 their 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 and not rushing to report without having all the facts and information.”
Marcus Freeman opened his press conference addressing the incident at his son’s wrestling match at Mishawaka High School.
— Bennett Wise WSBT (@BennettWiseWSBT) January 14, 2026
He expressed his thanks for reporters who waited for the facts and not “dragging his family through the mud with clickbait headlines.”
“I behaved in a… pic.twitter.com/PSkM53r6E5
Freeman did, however, call out one reporter who he believed did not handle the news coverage in a professional manner:
“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’ve been the only headline.”
Freeman is coming off his fourth full season in South Bend and has reportedly received renewed interest from NFL teams this year, though he appears to be committed to Notre Dame for the foreseeable future.
More College Football on Sports Illustrated
- Oregon QB Enters Transfer Portal After Dante Moore Announces He Will Return to Ducks
- Aaron Donald, Mark Ingram, Ndamukong Suh Headline College Football Hall of Fame Class
- Dante Moore Addresses Oregon’s Addition of Dylan Raiola After Making NFL Draft Decision
- Dante Moore Announces Return to Oregon, Spurning 2026 NFL Draft
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman Makes First Comments on Battery Accusation.
