In January, Russell Brunson, an assistant coach at Rocky Mountain High School in Idaho, faced potential criminal charges stemming from an incident during a wrestling tournament. However, Brunson reached a non-prosecution agreement with Canyon County Prosecuting Attorney Bryan Taylor, avoiding jail time.
The agreement stipulates that Brunson will not attend any Idaho high school sporting events for a year, will not coach again at the Idaho high school level, and will not commit any new crimes. He will also not be able to appeal his suspension.
The initial investigation by the Nampa Police Department recommended charges of battery and injury-to-child misdemeanor, which could have resulted in up to 18 months of imprisonment. The incident occurred during a dual meet between Nyssa High School from Eastern Oregon and Rocky Mountain High School. Brunson intervened in a match, claiming he saw the Nyssa wrestler applying an illegal choke on the Rocky Mountain wrestler, and struck the Nyssa wrestler multiple times.
The referee did not indicate if the move in question was illegal, but was able to quickly separate Brunson from the wrestlers. Nyssa coach Bobby De Leon assisted in ushering Brunson off the mat.
Brunson resigned from his coaching position following the incident. He is a self-described ‘entrepreneur’ and his website claims he is a ‘bestselling author, speaker, and marketing consultant.’