Former head coach Chris Bates ‘No Longer Employed' following elbowing incident

Former men’s lacrosse head coach Chris Bates has been fired by the Universityfor elbowing a Brown University player when the Tigers visited the Bears last Saturday.

Bates declined to comment.

APrinceton Athletic Communications statementissued on Wednesday noted that following a University review of the incident, Bates is no longer employed by the University.

In his place, men’s lacrosse offensive coordinator Matt Madalon will assume the head coach position.

The incident occurred during the first possession of the second half against the Bears. Brown entered the half with a 7-6 edge over Princeton. After the Bears won the face-off, Brown short-stick defensive midfielder John Yozzo-Scaperrotta brought the ball up the field.

Princeton midfielder Austin deButts ’16 then collided into Yozzo-Scaperrotta, sending the Brown player to the ground. Immediately afterwards, Yozzo-Scaperrotta was substituted out of the game.

As the Brown midfielder entered the substitution box on his way out, Bates – as seen on video footage of the game – elbowed his way into Yozzo-Scaperrotta.

Bates then walked away as Yozzo-Scaperrottaa paused to look at the former head coach. The game’s officials did not observe the incident at the time, so gameplay did not pause.

At the game’s conclusion, the Bears outscored Princeton 12-2 and remain unbeaten in the Ivy League.

During his seven years as the head coach of men’s lacrosse, Bates led the team to three Ivy League championships and two NCAA tournament appearances.

This season, following the graduation of Ivy League co-Player of the Year Mike MacDonald ’15 and first-team All-Ivy League selection Kip Orban ’15, the Tigers have stumbled to a 2-6 season record.

To move forward, the Tigers will remain united under interim head coach Madalon and the team’s four senior captains. Madalon said that through the chaos of recent developments,his top priority is to “take care of our guys for the next few games.”

Princeton will host three upcoming games against Stony Brook, Lehigh and Dartmouth.

Despite the doubts and challenges, Madalon said that he remains optimistic. The interim head coach defended his team, saying, “We’re a better team than our record shows.”

Senior Associate Director of Athletics Jerry Price noted his sympathy with the Tigers.

“I think everyone recognizes it is a very difficult few days. The fact that there are now three games in eight days, it will give the team a chance to do what they do best,” he said.

According to the Princeton Athletic Communications statement, a national search for a permanent head coach will be held at the conclusion of the season.

For now, the Tigers will attempt to hold their heads high and protect their home field, said Madalon. The team will take it one step at a time, Madalon added.