Police have questioned two former coaches of Nihon University's American football team on a voluntary basis after one of its players who injured an opponent with a dangerous tackle said he was ordered by the two to do so, investigative sources said on Friday.
Former head coach Masato Uchida and former assistant coach Tsutomu Inoue have repeated the claims they made at a May 23 news conference that they did not order the linebacker to attack the quarterback of archrival Kwansei Gakuin University, saying the player misinterpreted their instructions, according to the sources.
The police are looking into the foul play as a possible case of assault and intend to further question the two and also hear from Taisuke Miyagawa, 20, who carried out the tackle, the sources said.