"Not very sportsmanlike"

[Fordgalaxy]

I'm with whoever said that those punks should never play high school football again and hope the referee does press charges. That's completely uncalled for and they should be made an example of. Maybe have them do lots of community service and spend every weekend from after school on Friday until 4 pm Sunday in a local jail for a month.

[WorkingAllTheTime]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNCrs63JeuM

 

When all else fails, just slam the ref.

 

-------------------------------

 

Texas school district investigates after players hit referee

 

The Associated Press

POSTED: Sunday, September 6, 2015, 11:15 AM

 

MARBLE FALLS, Texas (AP) - A San Antonio School district is investigating after a football player ran into the back of a referee watching a play and another player then dove into the official after he fell. Both players were ejected from the game.

 

Northside Independent School District athletic director Stan Laing told the San Antonio Express-News that video of the incident was "very disturbing." Laing said the district is investigating what led up to the incident.

 

The team from John Jay High School in San Antonio was playing Marble Falls High School in Marble Falls, located about 90 miles north of San Antonio.

 

Before the referee was hit, two Jay players had been ejected on separate plays.

 

The incident occurred with approximately a minute left in Friday's game, according to Marble Falls coach Matt Green.

 

Marble Falls was trying to run out the clock and called for a handoff toward the left side of the line of scrimmage, according to the Express-News.

 

The penalties stemming from the incident gave Marble Falls a first down. John Jay lost 15-9.

 

Marble Falls coach Matt Green said John Jay coach Gary Gutierrez apologized after the game.

 

"I've coached 14 years and I've never seen anything like it," Green said.

 

The referee was "very upset" and "wanting to press charges," Austin Football Officials Association secretary Wayne Elliott told The Associated Press.

 

Elliott said he was seeking guidance from the state officials association, adding, "the first thing we want is that those two kids never play football again."

 

He declined to release the referee's name.

 

I need a call on this... are these kids that dumb? Did they think theyd get away with it? Make a point? Be someone's hero?

 

My phone blew up when this happened. Once I saw the video, I kind of figured it would go national. I have no connections to this particular school or program, but I know lots of people connected to the culture of Friday Night Lights and know a few folks within the district.

 

Here's what I can offer:

 

* I spent 17 years in public education as a teacher, coach, and administrator - this is the single most egregious thing I have ever seen student athletes do toward a referee. I have seen lots of parents behave foolishly, even threatening violence. I have seen coaches lose their s*** and throw a tantrum. I have seen kids lose their s*** and get pulled off the field and benched. I have never seen students assault - and that is exactly what this is - a referee

* It is *very* obvious those two kids did this purposefully - both players made a bee line for the referee without regard for the play and the district is essentially admitting it was somehow planned

* The reaction from the other defensive players on the field, though, seems to suggest they were not aware of the "plan" - the linemen, in fact, seem to not even know it happened

* The question is why did these two do it - were they coerced by a coach? did the ref say or do something significant to anger them and somehow illicit this response? or were they just mad about prior calls and ejections? None of those possibilities plays well, of course.

* The article mentions two prior ejections, but it fails to mention that one of the ejections was their star player (a quarterback playing both directions in the game and removed after a defensive play) who is being recruited by TCU, Baylor, and aTm - so there's potentially some key emotion (or baggage?)

* The head coach of the program, by the way, is in his third season at the school and not a long tenured coach. There is nothing I know of in his background that suggests he runs a rogue program, but my understanding is this campus struggles to keep staff and coaches. It is a very urban campus with all the same issues you would expect to see on an urban campus - including staff turnover. We could, then, be looking at a situation in which you have a collection of fairly novice coaches lacking in a skill set needed to develop athletic discipline. I am not saying that is what happened, but I am suggesting it is possible.

* The district/school has removed the two players from the team (their numbers aren't even showing up on the team roster at this point - but also likely to hide their names as they are juveniles). They have also suspended them from school pending what they specifically called a "due process" hearing. That implies they are investigating this as an assault and could, depending upon the level of assault determined, have significant disciplinary implications (the second player who essentially speared the ref is in an especially precarious position has he lead with his head/helmet while the referee was on the ground and nowhere near the ball). It is important to note that school law/discipline does not require a threshold of reasonable doubt. The threshold is propensity, which is pretty much confirmed with the video.

* There are four different venues of action/discipline these students will likely face....

 

1) The campus/district athletic program. Students do *not* have a legal or property entitlement to participate in extra-curriculars. If these were my students, they would be done with extra-curricular sports, maybe all programs, at my campus for life. Granted, the district officials will weigh in, but barring an unbelievable level of remorse from these kids, I imagine they have played their last anything for the school or district.

2) Similarly, the University Interscholastic League (UIL), a division of the University of Texas which oversees public school athletics in Texas, could have their own due process hearing. The result of that process could/will likely be an extension of the campus/district ban at all levels across the state (leaving them only the option to play in private/TAPPS or another state). The really interesting thing about the UIL is their charter explicitly states that none of their decisions establish precedent and the fact of the matter is the state legislature has given the UIL tremendous latitude in addressing pretty much everything. UIL is, put simply, one of the most powerful bodies in the state. If they want to ban these kids statewide, they very likely can (and I suspect will). Realistically, they don't need to do it as all districts essentially have a handshake agreement on these kinds of things, but I would be willing to bet they do it for the intent of message.

3) What's more, the kids will likely be sent to an alternative disciplinary campus as part of the incident (the earlier reference to due process). They could even be expelled (depending upon the level of assault the campus/district asserts) for a period of one year, which given the campus/district is in a county that meets the population threshold would result in their placement in a Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program (JJAEP). I do think, though, that level of assault is a stretch and the JJAEP move would be discretionary rather than mandatory (which impacts overall campus/district reporting figures and ratings), so the district will stick to a lower level of assault and send them to a district alternative setting.

4) Finally, yes, criminal court is a possibility - and that creates all sorts of other layers in #3. If the district does go for a discretionary JJAEP placement, criminal court is going to happen as a function of the placement. However, if the referee presses charges, it will end up in a criminal court..... and then it gets really interesting because..... if the prosecutor determines they are going to charge the students with felony, rather than misdemeanor, assault the threshold for JJAEP placement automatically moves from discretionary to mandatory because, in Texas, if a student is facing (not actually convicted, but merely charged with) a title felony they are immediately eligible for a mandatory JJAEP placement.

* What happens to the coaches depends upon what is found out in the discovery process. If any coach told a player to do this... they are done, done, done. If the district determines the coaches have a lack of program control, they are equally done. UIL could also step in because, again, they get to do pretty much whatever they want... they are the SCOTUS of Texas. However, even with their ridiculous power, UIL tends to operate with a level head. NISD also has a reputation for taking care of their business. I would imagine UIL will leave any personnel action at the NISD HR level.

* I am not so sure the refs walk away from this unscathed, as well. If we find out the other team was doing/saying things that weren't addressed, I can see this thing going south for the refs, too. The chatter would be nowhere near the level of trouble the players, or even the coaches, will face. But really, if it is found out these refs let some things go they shouldn't have, I imagine they end up on a lot of schools' strike lists.

 

Nobody wins here. It's a clusterf*** of epic proportions. I feel bad for the administrators at Jay and NISD. This isn't going to be pretty.

 

WOW - thanks for that, that's interesting. I'm thinking they are very lucky that ref got up and wasn't seriously injured hitting him in the back that way.

 

Indeed. They are very lucky he walked away. And, yet, still, it's very complicated. ESPN will move on in a couple of days, but this will take months to sort out. It might take years if the lawyers get involved (most major school law cases are resolved long after the student has graduated).

 

No worries, though, the next season of "Law & Order" will boil it down to a 60 minute episode (including commercial time) and everyone in America will be an expert in school and extra-curricular law.

 

Something I just thought of....

 

As if this wasn't complicated enough..... criminal charges would be filed in Marble Falls/Burnet County, the location of the incident... not San Antonio/Bexar County, the location of the campus of the students involved. This is *very* political as legal jurisdictions become an issue. Trust me, this is a very real wrinkle in the fabric of this case.

 

What's more, while both schools are part of UIL Region IV, Jay is classified as 6A for football and basketball, and Marble Falls is classified as 5A. The game was non-district/early season and the fact of the matter is there is a degree of animosity between San Antonio and Austin area schools, not to mention at all levels of classification. So, this is still *very* political as athletic jurisdictions are part of the story.

 

Even more complicating is the fact the referee is a part of the greater Austin area association (by way of the location of the game), but thus far the organization is deferring to the larger statewide organization. That is equally *very* political. Referee organizations, in fact, are very interesting in how they are structured and there are a lot of long term implications for the ref involved in how he handles this.

 

Did I mention this is a clusterf***? That might be an understatement.

Edited September 8, 2015 by WorkingAllTheTime

[WorkingAllTheTime]

And, here's where it stands right now.....

 

1) The UIL had an emergency meeting yesterday to review the case. Essentially, they were reviewing whether or not to shut down the entire Jay football program for the season (because they can do that - basically they can do that simply because the sun came up in the east again - they have absolute power, absolutely). In the end, the UIL said Jay would continue to play, but asserted they are worried about institutional control of the team among the coaches and implied they would be watching closely. The district said it is looking into the entire coaching staff and understands the question on institutional control. I suspect a district level s*** storm will be headed the coaches way soon and, by next season, there will be some new faces on the side line simply to "save face".

 

2) One assistant coach is currently on paid leave as part of the investigation. The students involved have apparently said that particular coach said something to the effect of "that ref needs to pay" and the belief is that may have been a factor if it happened (duh!). It is not clear if only the two players say he said it, or more on the team say he said it. To be fair to the coach in question, though, a number of his past coaches and colleagues have come out and publicly said they are surprised by that allegation and have pointed to his reputation and the fact he grew up in the Jay community and, even though his D One experience meant he could have coached at more prestigious (translation: winning) programs, he chose to come back to his rough, working class neighborhood. I think it is also important to note the students have every reason to lie in this situation. I am not saying the kids are lying, but I am saying they have a motivation to lie. I also think it is important to note that it is possible, even probable, the conversation on the sideline went down something like this... kids very angry the ref has blown so many calls and just ejected two of their teammates..... coach says, I know, he blew a lot of calls and threw out our guys and something like, "don't worry, we will make sure he is taken care of" ("we" meaning the coaches, who will file a complaint with UIL and officials).... kids mistake "we" for the team and "taken care of" meaning street justice and decide they are going to do it for the coach. Does that mean the coach flat out told the kids to do it? Nope. Does it mean he even implied it? Again, nope. But it does mean the coach would have been too loose and foolish with his talk with clearly emotional and angry teenagers and *that* is a problem. Bottom line, I think this coach will be the fall guy and his career is done, whether he did anything intentionally or not.

 

3) The ref is being investigated because the two players allege he made a racial slur toward the end of the game (which would be a huge problem, but still wouldn't justify assault). Again, it is not clear if other players are supporting this and it is still true these two kids do have every reason to lie about it (again - not saying they are lying about it, but I am acknowledging they have every reason to do so). I can say this.... I have seen a good amount of the game footage and this ref - the entire crew actually - blew some calls quite badly, did not have control of the situation, and were part of the problem rather than the solution they should have been. It got so out of hand that the crew resorted to simply ejecting players in multiple plays (when you reach that point, you have lost control). This thing cascaded badly, in part, because the officiating was so poor and they handled it even more poorly. Once things got chippy, the entire crew should have called an officials' time out, brought both sets of coaches to mid field and said "Get control of your players *now*. One more questionable penalty and this game is over and we will declare a forfeit loss, maybe for both teams." The refs then give the coaches a few minutes to have their players take a knee and get things straight (translation - coaches lay down the law and bench any player who talks back or questions them). The refs also convene and agree to tighten their play calling on holds, illegal blocks etc. until they have restored control of the game. Refs can do that. Coaches can do that. I have seen it happen. It works. From what I can tell, it should have happened here. That does not, of course, justify, in any way, the actions of the players in assaulting the referee. It does, though, make me question the general experience and competency of this crew (the ref, by the way, may have been a late decision replacement for the game, which is also a problem). In the end, though, if the ref said anything untoward, I don't think it will be proven. This ref will continue to be a ref and the crew will continue to work, but I think the officiating agency will quietly monitor and counsel all of them because I do believe, after reviewing the game, they will see what I and many others who know a little about Friday Night Lights see.

 

4) The two players in question are suspended from the team "indefinitely" (translation: probably forever and probably from all team sports at the school and district forever, and maybe from all sports at all UIL schools in Texas forever - but that official ruling will come later). They are also being disciplined under the charge of "assaulting a school official". The school official title for a ref is a bit of a stretch from the legal context, but I think it will hold and will set a pretty solid precedent from the school law perspective. This means these kids are very likely facing an alternative school placement for a period of time, but not an expulsion (unless Burnet County decides to pursue a title felony - rather than misdemeanor - charge if the ref pursues charges, which I see as becoming less likely given the other information that is surfacing).

 

5) The ref is threatening all sorts of stuff. Lawsuits for libel and slander and pretty much everything he can think of. Hell, I get the sense if he reads this he might want to sue me. Frankly, I think the guy needs to sit down and breathe a bit and wait to see how the school, district, and UIL handle this before publicly threatening things. He has at least 180 days to file assault charges, by the way. I get he was assaulted. I get he is likely embarrassed by all of this playing out on national television. But I also have to wonder why is being so adamant about going to war here. Most refs I know have a heart for kids and the game. The best refs take the fan booing in stride and enjoy the fact they play a huge part in the interpersonal development of many young men and women in sports (the best ones truly do that). This guy, though, seems to be wanting to go to war with everyone. Sure, it may be a natural reaction to what has happened, but it also makes me wonder if that is his default attitude. Then again, he hasn't yet filed anything from what I can tell - so maybe he is going to calm down and see how it all plays out.

 

So, yeah, four simultaneous investigations and threats of lawsuits. Lots of pain and agony to come and, for my money, lots of guilty parties who need to change some practices..... including the people of Texas. I love high school football. I love many aspects of Friday Night Lights. But, let's be real, some of it is quite unhealthy and none of us should really ever be shocked when some bad, stupid, s*** goes down on the field. Yes, an assault of a ref is probably the most egregious thing I have seen in a long time, if not ever.... but after a few days to think about this, I have to be honest with myself... I really shouldn't be that surprised.

Edited September 11, 2015 by WorkingAllTheTime

[lerxt1990]

And, here's where it stands right now.....

 

1) The UIL had an emergency meeting yesterday to review the case. Essentially, they were reviewing whether or not to shut down the entire Jay football program for the season (because they can do that - basically they can do that simply because the sun came up in the east again - they have absolute power, absolutely). In the end, the UIL said Jay would continue to play, but asserted they are worried about institutional control of the team among the coaches and implied they would be watching closely. The district said it is looking into the entire coaching staff and understands the question on institutional control. I suspect a district level s*** storm will be headed the coaches way soon and, by next season, there will be some new faces on the side line simply to "save face".

 

2) One assistant coach is currently on paid leave as part of the investigation. The students involved have apparently said that particular coach said something to the effect of "that ref needs to pay" and the belief is that may have been a factor if it happened (duh!). It is not clear if only the two players say he said it, or more on the team say he said it. To be fair to the coach in question, though, a number of his past coaches and colleagues have come out and publicly said they are surprised by that allegation and have pointed to his reputation and the fact he grew up in the Jay community and, even though his D One experience meant he could have coached at more prestigious (translation: winning) programs, he chose to come back to his rough, working class neighborhood. I think it is also important to note the students have every reason to lie in this situation. I am not saying the kids are lying, but I am saying they have a motivation to lie. I also think it is important to note that it is possible, even probable, the conversation on the sideline went down something like this... kids very angry the ref has blown so many calls and just ejected two of their teammates..... coach says, I know, he blew a lot of calls and threw out our guys and something like, "don't worry, we will make sure he is taken care of" ("we" meaning the coaches, who will file a complaint with UIL and officials).... kids mistake "we" for the team and "taken care of" meaning street justice and decide they are going to do it for the coach. Does that mean the coach flat out told the kids to do it? Nope. Does it mean he even implied it? Again, nope. But it does mean the coach would have been too loose and foolish with his talk with clearly emotional and angry teenagers and *that* is a problem. Bottom line, I think this coach will be the fall guy and his career is done, whether he did anything intentionally or not.

 

3) The ref is being investigated because the two players allege he made a racial slur toward the end of the game (which would be a huge problem, but still wouldn't justify assault). Again, it is not clear if other players are supporting this and it is still true these two kids do have every reason to lie about it (again - not saying they are lying about it, but I am acknowledging they have every reason to do so). I can say this.... I have seen a good amount of the game footage and this ref - the entire crew actually - blew some calls quite badly, did not have control of the situation, and were part of the problem rather than the solution they should have been. It got so out of hand that the crew resorted to simply ejecting players in multiple plays (when you reach that point, you have lost control). This thing cascaded badly, in part, because the officiating was so poor and they handled it even more poorly. Once things got chippy, the entire crew should have called an officials' time out, brought both sets of coaches to mid field and said "Get control of your players *now*. One more questionable penalty and this game is over and we will declare a forfeit loss, maybe for both teams." The refs then give the coaches a few minutes to have their players take a knee and get things straight (translation - coaches lay down the law and bench any player who talks back or questions them). The refs also convene and agree to tighten their play calling on holds, illegal blocks etc. until they have restored control of the game. Refs can do that. Coaches can do that. I have seen it happen. It works. From what I can tell, it should have happened here. That does not, of course, justify, in any way, the actions of the players in assaulting the referee. It does, though, make me question the general experience and competency of this crew (the ref, by the way, may have been a late decision replacement for the game, which is also a problem). In the end, though, if the ref said anything untoward, I don't think it will be proven. This ref will continue to be a ref and the crew will continue to work, but I think the officiating agency will quietly monitor and counsel all of them because I do believe, after reviewing the game, they will see what I and many others who know a little about Friday Night Lights see.

 

4) The two players in question are suspended from the team "indefinitely" (translation: probably forever and probably from all team sports at the school and district forever, and maybe from all sports at all UIL schools in Texas forever - but that official ruling will come later). They are also being disciplined under the charge of "assaulting a school official". The school official title for a ref is a bit of a stretch from the legal context, but I think it will hold and will set a pretty solid precedent from the school law perspective. This means these kids are very likely facing an alternative school placement for a period of time, but not an expulsion (unless Burnet County decides to pursue a title felony - rather than misdemeanor - charge if the ref pursues charges, which I see as becoming less likely given the other information that is surfacing).

 

5) The ref is threatening all sorts of stuff. Lawsuits for libel and slander and pretty much everything he can think of. Hell, I get the sense if he reads this he might want to sue me. Frankly, I think the guy needs to sit down and breathe a bit and wait to see how the school, district, and UIL handle this before publicly threatening things. He has at least 180 days to file assault charges, by the way. I get he was assaulted. I get he is likely embarrassed by all of this playing out on national television. But I also have to wonder why is being so adamant about going to war here. Most refs I know have a heart for kids and the game. The best refs take the fan booing in stride and enjoy the fact they play a huge part in the interpersonal development of many young men and women in sports (the best ones truly do that). This guy, though, seems to be wanting to go to war with everyone. Sure, it may be a natural reaction to what has happened, but it also makes me wonder if that is his default attitude. Then again, he hasn't yet filed anything from what I can tell - so maybe he is going to calm down and see how it all plays out.

 

So, yeah, four simultaneous investigations and threats of lawsuits. Lots of pain and agony to come and, for my money, lots of guilty parties who need to change some practices..... including the people of Texas. I love high school football. I love many aspects of Friday Night Lights. But, let's be real, some of it is quite unhealthy and none of us should really ever be shocked when some bad, stupid, s*** goes down on the field. Yes, an assault of a ref is probably the most egregious thing I have seen in a long time, if not ever.... but after a few days to think about this, I have to be honest with myself... I really shouldn't be that surprised.

Wow, thanks for the update! Complex story.

[lerxt1990]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJZUoqDe4VQ

 

How bout them Cowgirls...

[lerxt1990]

 

Pacman Jones - head slam into helmet. Nice.

[lerxt1990]

http://thebiglead.com/2015/09/15/49ers-fans-viciously-beat-vikings-fan-outside-levis-stadium-graphic-video/

 

Some Niners fan thuggery

[goose]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBngDNC-Duc

 

Pacman Jones - head slam into helmet. Nice.

$35,000 worth of "nice", apparently.

 

And he can't promise he won't do it again.

 

http://www.si.com/nfl/2015/09/16/adam-pacman-jones-amari-cooper-helmet-fine

[WorkingAllTheTime]

Back to the Jay High School kids.....

 

Wow..... the lawyer's decision to put them on national TV..... um.... wow.

 

Credit to George Stephanopoulos, he could have pounced, but he didn't. It's quite obvious, and I am trying to be gentle here, these kids are not the most academically gifted. One is clearly more articulate than the other, but that's about as far as it goes.

 

I don't necessarily believe the story these kids are telling, but I don't necessarily believe they are telling a story with ill-intent, if that makes sense. I think they actually believe it played out they way they think it did. I think they believe they heard slurs. I think they believe their coach said the ref would pay. I also think that maybe they heard it all wrong.

 

One telling thing from the GMA story is the referee's attorney who made very clear to say *his* client did not make a racial slur (presumably leaving room for the understanding another official did). It is also still entirely possible the coach said something to the effect of "that ref will pay", which is still ill-advised, but different.

 

Nonetheless, from the interview, it appears there is a third involved player who may have heard something but did not follow through. That is likely huge in the larger scheme of things

 

Still, the more I read and hear about this, the more I think the culprit is "high school football in Texas".

 

Do I think these kids made a horrible, horrible decision and need to be banned? Yes, of course.

 

Do I think the coach may have made a reckless comment, intending one thing, but resulting in another? Yep. It's possible.

 

Do I think these refs had no control of the situation and one or more might have made a comment they shouldn't have? Yeah. That's entirely reasonable.

 

In the end....

 

Clear eyes.... full hearts....

[WorkingAllTheTime]

And, still more....

 

The kids went on GMA, which is on ABC, which is a sister station of ESPN.... and ESPN then ran a story, the same day the kids faced their disciplinary hearing with the district, detailing documents that said the assistant coach admitted to telling the kids to hit the ref.

 

Not to be a cynic, but let's just say the Jay High School area is not wealthy. How did those kids happen to spring for a trip, with their lawyer, to New York to be on TV? And the show's sister station - the world wide leader in sports, you know - just happened to get leaked documents that helped the kids? I am not saying ABC/ESPN paid for the trip in exchange for documents.... but..... wait..... yes..... yes, I am.

 

How you say?

 

Easy. The leaked document was the school principal's account of his conversations with various staff about the incident. Said document is exculpatory for the students' disciplinary hearing. Said document would also only redact the name of students, but not adults. Said document would be made available to the lawyer prior to the hearing per process policy. The leak of said document would not be a violation of FERPA on behalf of the students if their parents agree to it. It might be ethically questionable and the district's HR department might be pissed, but yeah, free trip to New York and the chance to swing the story....

 

So, fast forward to Wednesday...

 

The kids are given 75 days in alternative school with credit for the days they have already been there. This means they return to their home campus in January, which "ironically" means they return not after just after fall semester, but after football playoffs in December.

 

However, the ref is still threatening charges... which means the kids could still be expelled later if the county prosecutor pushes title felony level.

 

Now, fast forward to Thursday....

 

The assistant coach in question has resigned and recanted. He now says he only said he said (!) for the kids to do it to try to protect the kids and talks about a second document in which he recanted the first. As far as I know, the second document was not released or otherwise made available.

 

The UIL (which can do whatever it wants because it answers to no one) basically puts everything on hold. The decision on what to do with the kids in regard to sports in the future is pending a hearing. The decision on what to do with the coach is pending another hearing (but he can't coach in Texas before said hearing).

 

During the actual UIL hearing that amounted to little the head coach basically said he believes his students/players who said the ref in question made racist comments (there were apparently at least four who said it happened). What's more, the head coach apparently reported it during the game to the ref crew and was, for lack of a better term, blown off with "we don't know that happened". That's right.... the crew chief was potentially made aware of the allegation of racist comments from the ref and did nothing and the game continued. That does not, of course, justify the action of the kids in question, but damn if it's not a mitigating factor.

 

So, here's what we have...

 

 

* Multiple kids saying they heard the ref in question saying racist things.

* The head coach saying he reported his concern during the game and was essentially ignored.

* Multiple kids saying they believed the coach told them to do something to the ref (although there is equally a question of whether or not this "order" came from another player and the coach instead said something to the effect of "we will make sure the ref pays").

* Two kids sent to alternative for a semester, but still facing expulsion and probably never playing Texas high school sports again (the last part is the real punishment and all that is really needed, by the way).

* An assistant coach who is unemployed because he either did tell the kids to do it, or lied about telling the kids to do it because he was worried about what would happen to the kids (which, after reading his public statement, is oddly believable- incredibly dumb and naive, but believable. But, yeah, dude probably needs to not be an educator anymore either way. Answer Option A is crazy. Answer Option B is stupid).

* UIL basically sitting around and doing nothing until they want to because they are the Almighty UIL. UIL will, above all things, protect the game of football. These kids. This coach. This ref. None of them matter. The truth does not matter to UIL. Only football matters. Clear eyes. Full hearts.

* A ref threatening to sue seemingly anyone and everyone, but not actually doing it yet (leading many, including me, to wonder if that is because he ain't exactly an angel here).

* A school district playing the political game to save face and reputation.

 

* A high school team still playing again this weekend when it seems (in my mind, at least) the only logical move would be to shut the damned team down for the year because it is clear someone, maybe everyone - including the highest district level official - is withholding information, if not lying. The UIL, by the way, could have made this happen, but chose not to.

 

It's a freaking soap opera. I keep waiting for Stefano Dimera to be involved....

Edited September 25, 2015 by WorkingAllTheTime

[lerxt1990]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wahDobkFTrs

[lerxt1990]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5RXH1BfCMY

 

worse than an election fight...

[goose]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5RXH1BfCMY

 

worse than an election fight...

[KenJennings]

Why is this Jay high school thing still an issue?

 

The kids should've just been suspended and kicked off the team for the year. I don't see anything warranting more punishment than that.

 

And then the asshole ref should suck it up and learn his lesson too. Abuse your power, treat people like shit, and face the consequences.

 

It's just not that big a deal.

Edited November 21, 2016 by KenJennings

[goose]

Why is this Jay high school thing still an issue?

 

The kids should've just been suspended and kicked off the team for the year. I don't see anything warranting more punishment than that.

 

And then the asshole ref should suck it up and learn his lesson too. Abuse your power, treat people like shit, and face the consequences.

 

It's just not that big a deal.

It's 2016. Everything is a big deal.

[lerxt1990]

[lerxt1990]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_Z4jPus2e0

[lerxt1990]

[lerxt1990]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cu5-_kxXBg

[lerxt1990]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXoPiYHllpQ

[lerxt1990]

Coaches and some classics.