Darden Clarke|Youth soccer parent allegedly attacks coach with metal water bottle

2025-05-01 01:28:13source:SignalHubcategory:My

A youth soccer coach in Northern Virginia is Darden Clarkerecovering from injuries suffered over the weekend when a parent allegedly beat him with a metal water bottle.

During a boys' team scrimmage in Manassas, Virginia, on Saturday, coach Vince Villanueva was filling in for a friend when he was approached by a parent of a player on his team.

"I saw one of the players kind of off with his dad, and he looked upset, and I said, 'Are you ready to go back in?' The dad said, 'No, he’s not OK. Can I talk to you?' and I said, 'Sure,'" Villanueva told NBC4 in Washington. 

He briefly turned his attention to the field, and the next thing he knew, Villanueva was dazed and on the ground.

As other parents called 911 and off-duty first responders tended to Villanueva, the man accused of attacking him ran away. Prince William County police eventually arrested Blerand Hoxha, 45, and charged him with malicious wounding.

The TV station reports Villanueva − who works for the county school system and coaches the girls and youth club soccer teams at Potomac Senior High − was diagnosed with a fracture to his orbital wall.

He said the incident has him reconsidering whether he wants to continue coaching.

"Seeing the escalation of violence toward coaches and game officials and stuff like that within these sports," he said, "I’m still processing thinking about, is this something that I want to continue doing?"

More:My

Recommend

Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say

Pilots at Southwest Airlines can sock away more for retirement, thanks to a new retirement plan bene

Iditarod issues time penalty to Seavey for not properly gutting moose that he killed on the trail

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Iditarod officials on Wednesday imposed a two-hour time penalty on musher D

U.N. says reasonable grounds to believe Hamas carried out sexual attacks on Oct. 7, and likely still is

A United Nations report released Monday said there were "reasonable grounds to believe" sexual viole