Arkansas interim defensive coordinator Chris Wilson struck a player in the face during an incident in the football locker room in mid-October, seven sources tell CBS Sports. The strike left the player with a bloodied lip.
Arkansas carried out an investigation of the incident after an anonymous tip. CBS Sports has since spoken with more than a dozen people close to the program and the affected player to better understand what happened in the locker room of a team that fired its coach and racked up a 2-9 record to stand last place in the SEC.
CBS Sports is protecting the player’s anonymity due to the sensitivity of the story.
The incident allegedly began when the 56-year-old Wilson called the player an expletive in the locker room. After the player asked to whom Wilson was speaking, Wilson allegedly doubled down.
The two sides then squared up, seemingly as a joke. Multiple sources say Wilson swung at least once — one source says Wilson swung twice, another source said the player may have swung first — connecting with the player’s face with enough force to cause bleeding. Wilson left in a huff.
The player sought Wilson out elsewhere in the football facility, a source said, to gain an understanding of what happened. Wilson told the player that he had just been messing around.
CBS Sports sent multiple requests for comment to Arkansas athletics director Hunter Yurachek, all of which were denied over a 10-day period. On Nov. 23, the school provided the following statement to CBS Sports when presented with eight questions about the incident:
“Our athletic department quickly looked into the matter, conducting independent interviews with the interim head coach, as well as the coach and player allegedly involved. Those conversations revealed the same recounting of the situation, in which both the coach and player said they were joking around. With everyone on the same page concerning the situation, the athletic department considers the matter closed with no further action necessary.”
Arkansas leadership met with the player roughly one week after the incident, a source told CBS Sports. Leadership asked whether the skirmish between the player and Wilson was the two men messing around.
The player concurred.
However, multiple sources with knowledge of the incident indicated Wilson was heated when leaving the locker room, making another derogatory comment as he departed.
Wilson, who had most recently coached in the UFL with the Houston Roughnecks, joined the Arkansas staff over the summer as assistant defensive line coach. He was promoted by interim coch Bobby Petrino to interim defensive coordinator on Sept. 29 after Petrino fired defensive coordinator Travis Williams.
Petrino assumed his position on Sept. 28 after Arkansas fired coach Sam Pittman.
The Razorbacks (2-9, 0-7 SEC) conclude their season Friday against Missouri (7-4, 3-4 SEC). Arkansas’ widespread coaching search includes Petrino, who also was the team’s coach from 2008-12.
CBS Sports’ Richard Johnson contributed to this story
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