A girls' middle school wrestling coach in North Carolina has been removed from his position after he "briefly tapped" a wrestler's backside following a match.
According to CBS News, video from a tournament last month shows Logan Downes, Knoch High School's girls wrestling coach, congratulating a member of the team by briefly tapping her backside after a match.
Parents and athletes are reportedly not happy with the school's decision to remove Downes.
"Angry and upset," parent Ashley Glover told CBS. "Very confused as to why someone would deem this to be a sexual gesture."
Families of the athletes say the gesture was harmless.
"She had just won that third place," parent Tiffany Greiner said. "And when she came off the mat, her coaches high-fived her, patted her on the butt, and went right to coaching her again."
Video shows Downes briefly tapping a second athlete after she stands up after a win, as well as hugging another athlete after a loss — an interaction that raised concerns about how long it lasted.
The parents are upset because they were never consulted by the district before the decision was made.
The district said in a statement that it "received a complaint regarding a volunteer wrestling coach. Due to the nature of the alleged conduct, the school district suspended the individual status as an approved volunteer coach. The school district has no further comment."
The parents plan to attend a school board meeting tomorrow in hopes district leaders will reconsider the decision and reinstate the coach.
"All this, with firing their coach, is affecting them more," Greiner said. "They're more angry, sad and upset now than they were from a butt tap of congratulations."
