CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The chairman of the Fairmont State University Board of Governors issued an apology Thursday for verbally attacking an assistant football coach because his son played only three plays in a football game.

Andrew Kniceley, who also is publisher of the Times West-Virginian, said his conduct was irresponsible and that he approached FSU assistant football coach Gary Lanham as an "inquisitive parent" and not as chairman of the FSU board. Kniceley issued his apology on the Times-West Virginian Web site.

"I wasn't prepared for this incident to be seen as me acting as the chairman of the Board of Governors," he wrote. "But I should have known that I cannot separate my position at FSU or my role in the community as publisher of this newspaper from parental concern in a situation such as this, especially when my emotions got the best of my behavior."

According to a written report filed by Fairmont police, Kniceley, who also is president of the West Virginia Press Association, approached the coach after FSU's 15-9 loss to Concord in Fairmont on Oct. 31.

"I was caught completely off guard by his abusive actions both verbally and physically toward me for his son only playing three plays," Lanham said in a written statement. "I feel as though my coaching rights have been violated because of his behavior.  . . .  It was uncalled for and should never have happened."

Lanham's statement to police was anonymously faxed to The Charleston Gazette on Thursday.

According to Kniceley, Lanham had started all of the seniors for their final home game, leaving his son on the bench. After the game, Kniceley approached the coach as players and parents left the field.

"Since Josh had been a starter for two years and had played far less than either of us expected, I wondered whether anything, other than preference for senior players on Senior Day, had caused the significant reduction in Josh's playing time." Kniceley wrote. "Although I had never had reason to discuss playing time with a coach before this, it did not seem inappropriate. . . . Things didn't go quite as expected."

Lanham says Kniceley came up to him and "got in my face."

"I said to him I am not going to talk to you about this as long as you are coming at me like this," Lanham wrote. "He then said to me, 'I will talk to you when I want and where I want to talk to you.' . . . He kept coming at my chest to chest bump me and saying repeatedly, 'You will talk to me now.'"

Lanham said he again told Kniceley to leave him alone when Kniceley's son and FSU offensive lineman Josh Kniceley got between them.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The chairman of the Fairmont State University Board of Governors issued an apology Thursday for verbally attacking an assistant football coach because his son played only three plays in a football game.

Andrew Kniceley, who also is publisher of the Times West-Virginian, said his conduct was irresponsible and that he approached FSU assistant football coach Gary Lanham as an "inquisitive parent" and not as chairman of the FSU board. Kniceley issued his apology on the Times-West Virginian Web site.

"I wasn't prepared for this incident to be seen as me acting as the chairman of the Board of Governors," he wrote. "But I should have known that I cannot separate my position at FSU or my role in the community as publisher of this newspaper from parental concern in a situation such as this, especially when my emotions got the best of my behavior."

According to a written report filed by Fairmont police, Kniceley, who also is president of the West Virginia Press Association, approached the coach after FSU's 15-9 loss to Concord in Fairmont on Oct. 31.

"I was caught completely off guard by his abusive actions both verbally and physically toward me for his son only playing three plays," Lanham said in a written statement. "I feel as though my coaching rights have been violated because of his behavior.  . . .  It was uncalled for and should never have happened."

Lanham's statement to police was anonymously faxed to The Charleston Gazette on Thursday.

According to Kniceley, Lanham had started all of the seniors for their final home game, leaving his son on the bench. After the game, Kniceley approached the coach as players and parents left the field.

"Since Josh had been a starter for two years and had played far less than either of us expected, I wondered whether anything, other than preference for senior players on Senior Day, had caused the significant reduction in Josh's playing time." Kniceley wrote. "Although I had never had reason to discuss playing time with a coach before this, it did not seem inappropriate. . . . Things didn't go quite as expected."

Lanham says Kniceley came up to him and "got in my face."

"I said to him I am not going to talk to you about this as long as you are coming at me like this," Lanham wrote. "He then said to me, 'I will talk to you when I want and where I want to talk to you.' . . . He kept coming at my chest to chest bump me and saying repeatedly, 'You will talk to me now.'"

Lanham said he again told Kniceley to leave him alone when Kniceley's son and FSU offensive lineman Josh Kniceley got between them.

According to Lanham, Kniceley said, "I will do whatever I want when I want."

"I finally told him, stop trying to intimidate me because he was president of the board of governors," Lanham said.

When a Fairmont police officer tried to get him to leave, Kniceley told the officer, "he would do what he wanted," Lanham wrote.

"Then he finally started to walk away. [Kniceley] looked back at me and stated that, "You are a joke and I hope that he tells you to go get f---ed after this is over,'" Lanham wrote. "I then was approached by his ex-wife and she had said that she was sorry that this happened."

Lanham said he's been in football for 20 years and that nothing like that has ever happened to him before.

Kniceley said he takes complete blame for the "shouting match" and is sorry if he offended Lanham.

"I have learned a lesson that I should have known beforehand," Kniceley wrote. "I regret any embarrassment or discomfort that I have caused FSU, my newspaper and my family -- especially my son Josh."

The Times West-Virginian, which Kniceley publishes, did not run any stories on the incident prior to the apology.

When asked via voicemail whether the incident would have any effect on Kniceley's position at FSU, university Public Relations Director Amy Pellegrin said there would be no additional comment that day.

"As stated earlier this week, any response or action would come from the Fairmont State University Board of Governors," Pellegrin responded by e-mail.

Reach Gary Harki at gha...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5163.