- American Sports
Girls' coach accused of biting player
A girls' high school basketball coach in the US has resigned, police say, after being accused of biting a player in the face.
Leake Academy coach Doyle Wolverton is accused of biting a player during a timeout in a November 12 game in Marion County, Mississippi.
The player was taken to a hospital emergency room in Carthage after the team returned, and hospital employees called the sheriff's office because the injury allegedly stemmed from an assault. A police report states a deputy took pictures of the bite mark.
The report was filed by the father of the girl, whose name was not released. The report alleges that Wolverton grabbed the player "by the shirt and then bit her on the right side of the face" after a bad play, according to the Jackson Clarion-Ledger.
"I have no comment on any of that," Wolverton told the Clarion-Ledger on Monday. "It's all still being ... I can't say anything right now."
Leake County Sheriff Greg Waggoner says the family is declining to press charges. "We haven't been involved with anything directly since [the hospital] because the parents and coach are trying to settle matters themselves," Waggoner told the newspaper.
Waggoner said Wolverton resigned on Monday, but the coach told the newspaper he couldn't "confirm nor deny" that he stepped down. A school official told the Clarion-Ledger that there would be a statement on the incident on Tuesday.
Wolverton has reportedly coached at Leake Academy in Madden for 38 years and has more than 1,200 career wins.
This article originally appeared on ESPN.com
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