A decision has been made on whether Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman will face a battery charge stemming from his incident with a high school wrestling coach last Saturday.
The St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office said Freeman would not be charged, citing an inability to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime occurred. The statement added that video evidence did not corroborate claims that Freeman had given the complainant a “two-handed push,” and that if any physical contact did occur, it was not forceful.
BREAKING: No charges will be filed against Notre Dame Head Coach Marcus Freeman, per the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office.
— Bennett Wise WSBT (@BennettWiseWSBT) January 12, 2026
“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. While the evidence… pic.twitter.com/mO3uxbOzU3
Freeman was accused by a high school wrestling coach of battery stemming from an incident at a meet last Saturday. The complainant alleged that forceful physical contact occurred when the two got into an altercation after the coach had words for Freeman’s son.
Freeman strongly denied that any incident occurred and said in a statement that he expected to be exonerated by the evidence.
The 40-year-old Notre Dame head coach just finished up his fourth full season with the Fighting Irish. He has gone 43-12 overall, and led Notre Dame to the College Football Playoff final in 2024. He is still garnering interest from NFL teams, even though he has publicly said he will be back at Notre Dame for the 2026 season.
