Richlands High School head coach Tom Rife has gone viral on the socials after jumping into the stands to attack a fan during a game and according to Daily Mail.
A Virginia basketball coach lost his temper at a Thursday game when he jumped into the bleachers to fight a spectator.
Richlands High School’s coach of the year Tom Rife was caught jumping over chairs and launching toward a man who appeared to be yelling at him seconds before his team lost 54 to 51.
The confrontation was caught by another spectator as aggressive Rife was seen grabbing the man by the collar as several people rushed to intervene.
An investigation has been launched to determine what caused the outburst at the Lady Blue Tornado’s basketball tournament.
‘We are aware of the incident at the RHS girls basketball game and while we do not condone any misconduct from our coaches or spectators at this time we are still investigating the actions of all parties involved,’ Dr. Christopher Stacy, Superintendent of Tazewell County Public Schools, wrote in a statement.
Footage of the altercation at Richlands Middle School gym showed Rife grab onto the man and as he aggressively pointing at others in the distance.
The man didn’t move from Rife’s grasp and appeared to be stunned as several females peeled the coach away from him.
A security guard then approached the two and separated them. It’s unclear if Rife was forced to leave after the incident, but he was seen being taken away across the gym.
Before we rush to judgment on the coach, we need to know exactly what was said before he decided to choke the man out. If it was out of line, then we should show him some grace. Maybe he was just protecting the girls.
We definitely need more information.
You can check out the viral video here.
Yes, our girls demand to have someone fight for and stand up for their honor. Great job, Coach! You can coach my kids anytime. Cancel Culture and the removal of common sense and logic is the worst.
— Braque Hildreth (@braque6) February 28, 2023