Police Question Ex-Nihon Univ. Coaches over Football Hit

August 17, 2018

Tokyo- Police have questioned Masato Uchida, former coach of Nihon University's American football team, and former assistant coach Tsutomu Inoue on a voluntary basis in connection with a dangerous hit by one of its players, investigative sources said Friday.

Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department suspects Uchida, 63, and Inoue, 29, of instructing the Nihon University defensive player to injure a rival team's quarterback, the sources said.

Both former coaches have denied the allegations, the sources said.

This was the first questioning of the former coaches in the police department's investigation into the case.

The hit was made during a game between Nihon University and Kwansei Gakuin University in May. The Kwansei Gakuin quarterback suffered damage to his back and knee as a result.

Nihon University last month fired Uchida and Inoue after a third-party panel formed by the university found them responsible for the hit. Jiji Press