St. Joe’s coach resigns after punching a mom in the mouth

St. Joseph's Regional High School assistant freshman football coach Christopher Trout has resigned after punching a player's mother, NJ.com reports.

Trout decided to quit "in the best interest of the school and the program," athletic director Tony Karcich told the site Friday.

Trout had already been suspended over the altercation, according to an earlier report from NorthJersey.com.

Trout, 40, tried to break up an argument between mother Sharon Hardy, 40 of Elizabeth and another coach on the practice field at the Bergen County school, according to thatreport. The newspaper reported Hardy then began arguing with Trout, but two different versions of events emerge.

Hardy claims Trout spit in her face and she reacted by slapping him in the head, after which Trout punched her, the report says. But Trout says Hardy started screaming at him and slapped him across the face holding keys in her hand; he tells NorthJersey.com he only pushed her in an effort to protect himself.

Neither Hardy nor Trout are yet pressing charges.