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SALT LAKE CITY — An assistant Cottonwood High School football coach was charged Monday with assaulting a man at a party.
Eric C. Eyre, 30, was attending a party near 2000 South and 500 East in Salt Lake City on March 24 when his friend got into an argument with another man about spilled alcohol, according to charges filed in 3rd District Court. Eyre and his friend were asked to leave the party.
Eyre then punched the man who was arguing with his friend and repeatedly hit the man's head against the ground, knocking him unconscious, the charging documents state.
The victim was treated at University Hospital for a concussion, received stitches to his forehead and chin and suffered three chipped teeth, the charges state. He told police he didn't have any memory of the incident.
Eyre was identified by several witnesses. One person at the party identified Eyre as a defensive coordinator when he was in high school, and said Eyre was now a coach at Cottonwood High School, the charges state.
Eyre was charged with aggravated assault, a third-degree felony. He was previously a head football coach at Ogden High School and Madison High School in Rexburg, Idaho. He served a two-game suspension during the 2009 season at Ogden for a confrontation with the school's band director over a football field scheduling conflict.
Ben Horsley, Granite School District spokesman, said the district is looking for a "quick resolution" to the situation. If Eyre is convicted, it would be grounds for termination.
"District policy requires that when an individual is arrested for any reason, they report it within 48 hours," he said. The district received no notification from Eyre that he had been involved in the incident, Horsley said.
Eyre is the second Cottonwood football coach to face allegations this month. Head coach Josh Lyman, 32, was placed on administrative leave last week after allegations arose that he had an inappropriate relationship with a female student. Lyman has denied the allegations, and a criminal investigation is being conducted by the Granite School District police. No charges have been filed against him.
Email:hschwarz@desnews.com
