Arkansas assistant coach Chris Wilson, Ken Talley 'shadowboxed'
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Interim Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino on Monday, Nov. 24 confirmed that assistant coach Chris Wilson and a player engaged in “shadowboxing,” resulting in the player’s lip being bloodied.
CBS Sports initially reported the incident occurred in mid-October. The University of Arkansas reportedly looked into the matter and determined Wilson and the player – whom Petrino identified as redshirt junior defensive lineman Ken Talley – were “messing around.”
Wilson joined Arkansas in 2025 as an assistant defensive line coach and was promoted to interim defensive coordinator Sept. 29 after Petrino took over as interim coach and fired defensive coordinator Travis Williams.
“Yeah, I think all that happened, I think it was the first week we were there and, once we had word of it, myself, (athletic director) Hunter (Yurachek) talked with both Chris and Ken,” Petrino said during his Nov. 24 news conference. “They said they were joking around, shadowboxing.”
While Petrino did not go into details of the incident, CBS Sports reported it occurred after Wilson, 56, called Talley an expletive in the team locker room. When Talley asked to whom Wilson was speaking, the coach “doubled down.” Wilson and Talley then “squared up, seemingly as a joke,” with multiple sources telling CBS Sports that Wilson swung at least once and struck Talley with enough force to cause his lip to bleed.
Speaking on the incident to reporters, Petrino said Talley bit his lip, “and people made a big deal out of it.”
“We both looked into it, took it very serious, met with them, each of them individually, and found that there was nothing to it,” Petrino added.
CBS Sports reported Wilson left “in a huff,” with Talley later seeking him out to determine what had happened, and why. Wilson reportedly told him he was messing around and, when Arkansas met with Talley roughly a week after the altercation, he agreed with Wilson’s assessment.
Arkansas (2-9, 3-4 in SEC play) concludes the 2025 college football season Saturday, Nov. 29 with a home game vs. Missouri.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas assistant coach Chris Wilson, Ken Talley ‘shadowboxed’
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