Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman hit the news cycle after a local wrestling coach in South Bend accused Freeman of battery. However, the program defends its head coach in an official statement.
The Fighting Irish program stated that the 40-year-old head coach, along with his wife, Joanna, stepped in to prevent a local wrestling coach from verbally abusing their son, Vinny, according to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports. Notre Dame also says that Freeman never physically engaged with anyone, claiming there is video evidence to support that statement.
“Vinny Freeman, head coach Marcus Freeman's son, was verbally accosted during and after his wrestling match by a local wrestling coach. 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 totally unfounded.”
Notre Dame's statement technically does not clear Freeman of the allegations, as local police will likely investigate the situation. However, if what is being said is true, then the fifth-year head coach could be cleared in due time. But that will be determined at a later date.
Until then, the Fighting Irish football program is focusing on the offseason. With the transfer portal window open until January 16, we should see plenty of new faces join the team for the 2026-27 campaign.
However, Marcus Freeman is involved in rumors speculating that NFL teams are showing interest in potentially interviewing him for their head coaching positions. As of this publishing, the Notre Dame head coach has not had a single interview with an NFL franchise.
