OXFORD, Ohio–Miami of Ohio suspended two assistant football coaches Wednesday after one was charged with assaulting a fan and the other admitted damaging a coaches’ box following a last-second loss at Marshall. Defensive coordinator Jon Wauford and assistant coach Taver Johnson have been suspended with pay while Miami officials investigate what occurred, the university said.
Wauford was led off the field in handcuffs and charged with battery, a misdemeanor, for shoving a fan who was celebrating Marshall’s 36-34 win Tuesday night.
Miami officials said that Johnson was suspended after he took full responsibility for damaging a Marshall Stadium coaches box, where a desk was destroyed and chairs thrown through walls.
“Both of these incidents were highly regrettable,” said Steven Snyder, Miami’s interim athletic director. “These are leadership positions, and the individuals holding them are held to the highest standards.”
Miami said it will reimburse Marshall for repairing the damage to the coaches’ box.
Wauford was released on $5,000 bond Wednesday and has a court hearing Dec. 13. The fan, Robert Flaugher, 36, of Pickerington, Ohio, was treated at a hospital and released.
Flaugher was among thousands of Marshall fans who stormed the field moments after the Thundering Herd scored the winning touchdown in the closing seconds.
West Virginia State Police said Wauford shoved Flaugher, who fell and struck his head on the artificial turf. He was taken away on a stretcher with what was diagnosed as a concussion.
Flaugher’s brother, Todd, said that neither he nor his brother used foul or abusive language toward Miami players or coaches.
“He was waving goodbye to Miami’s players, and from the left-hand side the coach basically hit him with a forearm. That knocked him flat. His head definitely hit first on the turf. It was basically a sucker-punch,” Todd Flaugher said.
Marshall coach Bob Pruett said he didn’t see the incident and declined to comment on it.
Asked about the damage in the Miami coaches’ box, Pruett said: “People get excited after games. It’s a very emotional game. You put your life and soul into a ballgame, and sometimes you react in ways that would be distressful.