Andrew Long placed third at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in 2011 (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Mitchell, who coaches the program that has won four straight team titles at the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) Wrestling Championships, sought assurances from Long that he was remorseful for his past acts, had made lifestyle changes, and was willing to be held accountable. Beyond that, Mitchell wanted the former Cyclone/Nittany Lion wrestler to sign a contract that spelled out guidelines that Long must follow as a student-athlete at the Des Moines-based school, complying with all requirements of his five-year probation (including no alcohol) which was part of his sentence after being convicted in Pennsylvania. Long, who still has two years of eligibility left at the NAIA level, signed his contract with Grand View on Thursday.
Nick Mitchell"I think that's part of why, as a school, we felt more comfortable about it because Grand View is a faith-based institution," continued Mitchell, who has been at the helm of the Vikings mat program since launching the program in 2008. "Hearing him come in and talk about (how) his faith is really leading him now and he's trying to use it as his guide, that's something for me, personally, that makes me feel a lot more comfortable with his situation."
Long's life on and off the mat was one of extreme contrasts. On the mat, the Creston, Iowa native crafted a career of impressive accomplishments, including being a three-time Iowa high school state champ. Long launched his collegiate career at Iowa State, where he made it to the 125-pound finals at the 2010 NCAA Division I championships, losing to Iowa's Matt McDonough. Later that summer, after a couple run-ins with Ames, Iowa police, Long was dismissed from the Cyclone wrestling program, and enrolled at Penn State.
As a Nittany Lion wrestling for head coach Cael Sanderson, Long won the 133-pound crown at the 2011 Big Ten conference championships, then, two weeks later, placed third in that weight class at the 2011 NCAAs. However, in late August of that year, the 55-year-old mother of a fellow Penn State student awoke in her son's apartment with Long's hand on her crotch, and her panties at her ankles; she nor her son knew the wrestler.
One year after that incident -- just before a Pennsylvania jury was to be seated for his trial -- Long agreed to a plea of aggravated indecent assault; the state then withdrew the most serious charge of attempted rape. Long was sentenced to 1-2 years in the local county jail (rather than at a state penitentiary, at the insistence of the victim), five years' probation (including seven years of no alcohol consumption), and was required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. In the time span between the incident with the student's mother and sentencing, Long traveled back to Iowa where he was involved in a Feb. 2012 incident in an Ames bar. Long was found guilty of assaulting a city police officer; he served 10 days in jail, and was on a year's probation.
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