Suspended Holy Family University men's basketball coach John O'Connor will not face criminal charges following his conflict with former player Matt Kravchuk, the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office said Thursday.
The decision came shortly after O'Connor and Kravchuk appeared on ABC's ''Good Morning America.'' On the morning show, O'Connor apologized. Kravchuk did not accept it.
According to a police report filed on Feb. 11, Kravchuk said he was grabbed and elbowed in the face by O'Connor, a move that allegedly resulted in a bloody nose and a bruised lip. The office's Private Criminal Complaints Unit reviewed the matter, and determined the event does not constitute a prosecutable criminal offense.
On GMA, Kravchuk said O'Connor apologized in a private meeting after the practice, saying he'd crossed the line. Kravchuk said he reported it to athletic director Sandra Michael, and was told it would be dealt with. He returned to practice. But then, after no apparent action was taken, he talked to Michael again, and she refused to divulge what action was taken.
O'Connor, on the show, repeatedly called the encounter an accident, saying he also ''nudged'' Kravchuk with his foot to keep the drill going.
O'Connor said he met with Michael, and they went through the tape together about what was appropriate and what wasn't.
''I just feel that I was coach and I was trying to get my team more competitive and in doing so, I made a mistake,'' he said. ''I would take those 30 seconds back if I could.''
Kravchuk wasn't particularly clear with what he wants the school to do.
''I just want some action taken,'' he said. ''I felt the university owed it to me to take some sort of action and when they didn't, I took it to the police.''
The coach and player then addressed each other.
O'Connor told Kravchuk, ''I was just trying to make us a better team. ... I'm really sorry that it happened. If I could take it back, I certainly would.''
Kravchuk responded, ''It's kind of hard to accept your apology just because you claim it's justified and you weren't crossing the line.''
Kravchuk said he attended the school to play basketball and now he couldn't, because of his wrist injury. He also said he couldn't play for O'Connor.
''As your player I'm supposed to be able to respect you,'' he said, ''and I don't feel I can do that anymore.''
