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Tom Rife: High school girls basketball coach shockingly 'assaults' spectator in bleachers during game

Rife was seen jumping over chairs and rushing towards a man who appeared to be screaming at him just before his team suffered a 54–51 defeat

RICHLANDS, VIRGINIA: Tom Rife, a basketball coach for Virginia, lost his temper during a game on February 23 and charged into the stands to attack a spectator. Coach of the Year, Rife, of Richlands High School, was seen jumping over chairs and rushing towards a man who appeared to be screaming at him just before his team suffered a 54–51 defeat. Another bystander witnessed the altercation as Rife grabbed the guy by the collar and several others hurried to stop it.

An investigation is underway to ascertain what induced the altercation at the Lady Blue Tornado’s basketball tournament, reports DailyMail. Tazewell County Public Schools Superintendent Dr Christopher Stacy issued a statement saying, "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."

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What happened at basketball tournament?

Videos of the incident that went viral on social media showed Rife shoving the man continuously while appearing angry. While the other man wore a white t-shirt, Rife was clothed in a blue shirt. Footage of the incident inside Richlands Middle School's gym shows Rife grabbing the man while pointing angrily at people in the distance. When other women pulled the coach away from him, the man remained in Rife's hands and occurred stunned.

The two were then split apart by a security guard who came over. Rife was escorted away across the gym, although it's unclear if he was made to leave as a result of the incident. According to the New York Post, the controversial coach has a long career that spans the 1970s to 2005. According to the Bluefield Daily Telegraph, the investigation will be carried out by Stacy, Deputy Superintendent Diedra Hill, Richlands High School Principal Rickie Vencill, and Richlands Athletic Director Frank Daugherty.

'Good job coach'

Parents and several social media users were horrified as they observed the incident and demanded that Rife be fired. One person wrote, "Good ole boy network fired coach who was amazing & had the emotional intelligence to control themselves to the bare minimum we expect of our student athletes, & replaced him with this. Our girls deserve better. I expect the immediate termination of head coach Tom Rife." Another user commented saying, "That’s called assault!" Another such user commented, "That coach needs to go and also be arrested for assaulting that fan. Terrible example teaching and leadership of these kids."

However, majority of internet users applauded the coach's action toward his girls against that spectator. One such social media user commented, "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." Another user wrote, "Maybe he was defending his team from a spectator talking smack about the female athletes. Good for him, we need more of this to happen." One more commenter said, "It was so nice to see the coach stand up for his team. He better not be dismissed, or even disciplined." "The guy in the white t shirt definitely deserved it. Good job coach," commented another user.

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