LINCOLN COUNTY, N.C. — A local basketball coach is facing charges after deputies said he attacked a fan who heckled him after a game.
Deputies said Chadwick Rock Wright, a coach at West Lincoln High School, was walking off the floor after the West Lincoln boys lost their 13th game of the season Tuesday night against Newton Conover when a family member of one of his players screamed at him.
The 48-year-old coach then ran into the stands and punched the man in the head, according to investigators.
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Deputies said the fan and Wright were wrestling around when a woman also began taunting the coach. They said she was then pulled into the fight, causing them to fall down the bleachers.
A deputy was working security at the game, and Wright was taken into custody.
Channel 9 learned that the players were already back in the locker room when the fight broke out.
The school’s athletic director, David Avery, held meetings with coaches and players Thursday afternoon.
“A bad choice was made. It’s regretted. We cannot go back and change it but at the end of the day I think they know our coaches care about kids and we’re in it for them,” Avery said.
Parents told Channel 9 that they are disappointed to hear about Wright’s alleged actions but said coaches at the school have made a difference in their children’s lives.
“When I was at work they were taking care of my boys, you know, basically. They’re in a good environment I know because mine both graduated from West and they’re doing awesome,“ father Daniel Schesny said.
Wright is charged with one misdemeanor count each of assault on a female, simple assault and battery and disorderly conduct.
He has been released on bond.
Avery said Wright, in his first year as head coach at the school, has been placed on administrative leave with pay.
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