Ohio Middle School Wrestling Coach Resigned following Incident at Student-Athlete

January 10, 2023 / Athletic AdministrationCoachingWrestling
An Ohio middle school wrestling coach has resigned from his position following an incident with a student-athlete at a regional tournament over the weekend.

The 13ABC.com report was confirmed through a statement by the Swanton Local School District superintendent, Christopher Lake.

wrestlingAccording to Lake, witnesses claimed to have seen Swanton wrestling coach Aaron Brown “put[ting] his hands on a wrestler in an unprofessional manner and people stepped in before the situation could escalate.”

Below is an excerpt from the 13ABC.com story.

The student’s mother Gayline Diller said the incident has left her son traumatized.

“You didn’t just physically touch him but he destroyed my son. He emotionally humiliated him and it’s not ok,” Diller said.

Swanton was competing at the Archbold Invitational Saturday morning at Archbold High School, according to the district’s athletic schedule.

Lake’s entire statement is below:

The Swanton Local School District has concluded its investigation of the incident which took place on Saturday between the head middle school wrestling coach and one of our student-athletes. Based on numerous witness statements the coach has been removed from his position and will no longer be affiliated with the team or the district. The coach understands that his behavior at the tournament was unprofessional and was not in keeping with conduct that reflects positively on himself or the Swanton School Local District. The District would like to thank all of the individuals who came forward to provide witness statements which aided in our investigation and helped us to bring this matter to a swift conclusion.

Additionally, this morning the district administration met with the members of the middle school wrestling team to inform them of the decision made regarding the coach and to offer them any assistance they may need as they process the events of this past weekend. The district’s goal now is to provide the members of the middle school wrestling team with the opportunity to move forward from this event and continue on with their successful wrestling season. We have also reached out to the parent of the student involved to inform them of the decision and to offer assistance to them and their student as they move forward.

— Christopher Lake, Swanton Local School District superintendent 

To read the full story from 13ABC.com about the Ohio wrestling coach’s resignation, click here.