A story in Wednesday’s Foster’s Daily Democrat says former New Hampshire women’s coach Brian McCloskey admitted to simple assault Tuesday in connection with a 2013 altercation with one of his players.
The admissions include that around Nov. 30, 2013, McCloskey “knowingly caused unprivileged physical contact to the student-athlete by grabbing her jersey, pulling her, and causing her to land with her back on the bench.” He also admitted putting his knee on top of her hip while she was in a horizontal position on the bench and that after causing her to fall and hit her head on the bench, he held her face mask with his hand.
“To the extent that he has made contrary statements in the past, his formal admissions now set the record straight on what truly happened,” a press release said from the Strafford County Attorney’s Office .
“McCloskey’s acknowledgment of that fact will hopefully shed some light on an issue that all too often is ignored: the use of inappropriate physical contact in the scope of coaching,” the release added. “Frequently, the victim of that contact is ridiculed for stepping forward and informing authorities of what occurred. Doing so is often seen as breaking the code of being a member of a team, even when teammates acknowledge the conduct at issue is unacceptable.”
McCloskey is now required to enroll in counseling, perform 100 hours of community service and be on good behavior for one year. Should be complete those actions, the charges against him will be dropped.
