Princeton coach fired after elbowing opposing player in game

PRINCETON, N.J. – Princeton University has fired its men’s lacrosse coach after he elbowed an opposing player.

The university said Wednesday that the move to terminate Chris Bates came after a review of the incident that took place during a game at Brown University on Saturday. He had been put on leave earlier this week.

A video shows Bates hitting a Brown midfielder with his elbow as the player was running off the field.

Messages left at phone numbers listed for Bates were not immediately returned Thursday. Bates declined to comment in the midst of the review; he told the Daily News of New York in an email “there’s more context to the story than what appears in a :5 clip.”

Bates was in his seventh season and led the Tigers to three Ivy League titles.

The team’s offensive co-ordinator, Matt Madalon will serve as interim coach for the remainder of the season. The university will conduct a national search for a replacement.