"Butt Drag" Wrestler Won't Face Sex Charge

CLOVIS, Calif. - Prosecutors have dropped the sexual battery charge against a California high school wrestler who claimed he was just executing a common wrestling move.

The teenager had faced the charge for allegedly ramming his fingers into the rectum of his teammate.

But defense lawyer Stephen Quade said his 17-year-old client had used a legitimate wrestling move called the "butt drag" during the July practice match.

The Fresno Bee reports that the charge was dropped Wednesday at a court hearing as part of a mediation agreement between the Clovis teen and the accuser.

The Associated Press is not naming the defendant because he is a minor.

He was expelled from the school in January, after officials concluded the teen had sexually assaulted his teammate.

Some coaches don't approve of the move at all, even if done correctly. Last month, Mike Moyer, the executive director of the National Wrestling Coaches Association, told the Bee, "In many cases, the 'butt drag' is technically a 'hamstring drag' because the wrestler typically grabs the back of the leg [hamstring] to use it as a lever to move from a neutral position to a scoring position."