A controversial suspension inside the Knoch School District in Butler County has sparked backlash from parents and athletes.

Logan Downes, Knoch High School's girls wrestling coach, is off the job after an incident caught on video sparked concerns. In a video from a tournament last month posted to Hudl, Downes can be seen congratulating a member of the team by briefly tapping her backside after a match.  

"Angry and upset," parent Ashley Glover said. "Very confused as to why someone would deem this to be a sexual gesture."  

Families insist that what happened was harmless. 

"She had just won that third place," parent Tiffany Greiner said. "And when she came off the mat, her coaches high-fived her, patted her on the butt, and went right to coaching her again."

Another moment in that same video shows coach Downes briefly tapping a second athlete as she stands up after a win. Another athlete was consoled by the coach with a hug, an interaction that raised concerns about how long it lasted. 

Both parents KDKA talked to on Friday were at that tournament, and neither they nor their daughters thought what happened was inappropriate.

"In the video, you see him pull her off to the side," Glover said. "I'm in the video too, so I'm right there, and he gave her a hug."

The parents are upset because the district never reached out to hear their side of the story before suspending Downes. Instead, they relied solely on the initial report.

"If the school truly thought that something was inappropriate or not right, I just really wish they would have thought, 'Hey, let's talk to this girl. It's been three weeks, let's pull her in and see if she's OK.'"

The district said in a statement that it "received a complaint regarding a volunteer wrestling coach. Due to the nature of the alleged conduct, the school district suspended the individual status as an approved volunteer coach. The school district has no further comment."

The girls wrestling team is fully funded by boosters. Parents say Downes, who also served as an assistant coach for the boys team, was critical to the program. Now, they say they're not backing down.

"All this, with firing their coach, is affecting them more," Greiner said. "They're more angry, sad and upset now than they were from a butt tap of congratulations."

The parents plan to attend a school board meeting on Jan. 14, hoping district leaders will reconsider the decision and reinstate the coach.