Ex-coach rejoins Oklahoma City soccer team after acquittal

Published Jul. 31, 2015 6:27 p.m. ET

foxsports

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) A former Oklahoma City soccer coach who was accused in the death of an off-duty police officer in England plans to rejoin the organization after he was cleared of all charges.

The Oklahoma City Energy FC said in a statement Friday that 30-year-old Chris Spendlove has accepted an offer to return to the team. It plays in the USL PRO league. The organization had terminated his contract when the allegations surfaced in December.

Spendlove was a suspect in the death of petty officer Neil Doyle in Liverpool, England. Spendlove and two other men got into an altercation with Doyle and two off-duty officers while walking home from a bar.

Spendlove, who is from Liverpool, has played professionally in both Europe and the U.S. and held various coaching roles in Oklahoma.