MD football game forfeit

[itvnetop]

Dunbar team forfeits up by 6

OK, I haven't been back to the tri-state area in years... but did we just get into a time machine and flash back to the 60s??? Is there anyone here from the Cumberland area that can give us a breakdown of why this would happen here?

[EternalEnigma21]

Football games always get heated. I've been on the other end of that as well. Most of the guys that were successful football players in my area were black. Being a white varsity starter I was subjected to a constant barrage of racial comments from black guys on the field. This isn't something new.

Not at all saying that it's acceptable by any means, and hopefully the coach made a right decision by taking his team off the field and getting the attention of the national media. No better way to throw egg on someone's face, I guess...

I do wonder, though if it was the right thing to do as far as what he's teaching his kids... I mean quitting. I know there are things that are bigger than football, and this behavior shouldn't be tolerated, but to quit during the game and allow the opposing teams comments to get to his players and himself to that point I think sends the wrong message. Maybe someone uses that instance as justification at some other point in life for completely losing it over someone else's comments. The world is not always a pretty place. You cannot control what other people do, and you're going to face ignorance throughout life that you have to learn to work around...

tough situation.

[itvnetop]

EE, that sucks man. I figured race would have been out of the equation on the football field, especially in the 21st century. The article wasn't clear, but I'm wondering if the slurs were coming from the other team or actually from the stands.

Cumberland Times article

The above article lists why I was fascinated with media back as an undergrad. No mention anywhere of the racial stuff... I wonder how the editorial meeting must have gone discussing this story for the local paper.

[Terpfan76]

Friday night, Fort Hill High School hosted Dunbar (D.C.) at Greenway Ave Stadium in Cumberland, Md. It was a pretty entertaining game with both teams playing hard in a mostly defensive struggle. There was a little smack talking going back in forth from time to time, but nothing more than what one would expect from any competitive sporting event. Then the third quarter happened.

With about 4 minutes to go in the third quarter in a 14-8 game with Dunbar leading, one of Dunbar's players and one of FH's players were doing a little talking (mind you I could hear what was being said or read lips from where I was sitting) when the Dunbar player pushed the FH player. It wasn't a real hard shove or anything but the Ref stepped in and separated the two players. Either the Ref or Dunbar's coach sent the Dunbar player to the sideline I'm guessing to cool his head a little. When he reached the sideline, the Dunbar player slammed his helmet off the ground and kicked it onto the field. It was hard to tell for certain if he kicked onto the field on purpose or whether it was accidental but never the less, a 15 yard penalty was assessed.

About three plays later the Dunbar player re-entered the game having been dressed down a bit by his coach, at least that's what it looked liked. FH's running back picked up about 4 or 5 yards and was tackled near the sideline of the visiting side. I couldn't see exactly what happened until tonight when I watched the broadcast of the game on tv, but what happened was a Dunbar player dove onto the pile a little late and another flag was thrown. It was clear from watching it on tv that it was a late hit and more than likely would have been called regardless of the games previous incident but it also had to be called as it looked as though the refs were trying to get the game under control. Another flag was thrown shortly there after as it looked as though the Dunbar coach may have said something or done something to warrant a 3rd personal foul.

After a conversation with the games officials, the Dunbar coaching staff rounded up their players and walked off the field earning them a hard fought forfeit. It didn't appear to be but a few players who couldn't maintain their composure. During this situation, it should be noted that FH's players re-huddled, then moved to their own sideline.

After walking off the field and under the stands to the visitor locker room, the Dunbar players re-emerged from the locker room and headed up to the school where FH's locker room is. I don't know what happened there other than the players and coaching staff where up there for about 10-15 minutes or so before boarding their charter bus for home.


. It was a really unfortunate situation as this had been a very well played game. I know I'm a FH fan and grad, but I've attempted to be as objective as possible from what I saw of the game.



This was taken from the Baltimore Sun's forums:

From local radio station that covered the game:

called the game on 99.5 (The Wolf) then immediately afterwards we discussed it on 1230 AM (ESPN RADIO). Here is what I learned. Before the game Jim Lohr and I went onto the field and talked to the Dunbar's coach. We just wanted him to share a little with us about what his team was expecting etc... He told us that he expected "home cooking officiating". Meaning, he said the referees were biased up here and that his team will not get a fair game and that other teams down in the D.C. area feel the same way. He further said that he likes these away games because his team gets paid to come up and play. A few weeks ago they traveled to Ohio and were paid $6,000. He said that he didn't mind losing when they get paid like that. He also said that these away games don't mean anything to him because his team doesn't need to win them to make the playoffs, they just have to win their five games down in their division.

[Terpfan76]

Check the Washington Post's web site.

[BDBohnzie]

Here's the Post article:

Ft. Hill Coach Denies Use of Racial Slurs; Dunbar Charge Prompts Md. Probe
By Alan Goldenbach
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, September 21, 2008; D03

The Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association is investigating allegations that Fort Hill High football players directed racial slurs toward players from the District's Dunbar High during a game Friday night in Cumberland, Md.

Dunbar Coach Craig Jefferies pulled his team off the field midway through the third quarter with the visiting Crimson Tide leading, 14-8, saying yesterday that he was fearful the situation would escalate into violence.

Fort Hill Coach Todd Appel denied the charge that his team taunted Dunbar players with racial epithets. Reached by phone yesterday, Appel said he spoke to several players after the game and they were adamant they did not use any racist terms toward the Dunbar players.

Appel said he asked his tight end, senior Jordan Helmick, a three-year starter and one of six black players on Fort Hill's 38-man roster, if he had heard any slurs, and Helmick replied, "Coach, I swear, nothing like that was going on."

Appel said, "I wouldn't tolerate [racist epithets], and if I heard it, I'd kick [that player] off the team."

Bob Broadwater, the game's referee, said no one on the officiating crew heard any epithets.

"Based on the action on the field, there were no racial slurs that I or any of the other officials heard," said Broadwater, who was reached by phone yesterday. He said Jefferies told him about the alleged slurs about a minute before the coach pulled his team from the field. "I told him, 'If we hear it, we'll penalize them.' "

Jefferies said yesterday that his players told him the alleged slurs were more prevalent than he initially believed. He said his players' reactions, coupled with perceived biases in the officiating, made him believe the situation could have escalated into a fight or something worse. He said leaving the field was the best way to prevent that from happening.

"The worst-case scenario was a fight, which was inevitable at that point," Jefferies said. "You could feel the sense of being uncomfortable in that stadium, and I had to do something proactive. If there was just poor officiating, my guys would have played through it."

Troy Mathieu, athletic director for D.C. Public Schools, stressed the importance of avoiding a violent incident.

"If he doesn't pull them, and they get into an all-out brawl, then video of it gets spread all over America," he said. "You don't want that."

Dunbar's Curtis Robinson, a senior offensive lineman, said: "[Fort Hill players] started [using racial epithets] in the second quarter and it just kept coming from there. . . . I also heard it from the stands, too. [Players] say it under their breath, when they're getting off you when they make a tackle."

Crimson Tide senior wide receiver Deon Long said he did not hear any slurs, but he said a fight seemed possible.

"There was a sense that that could have happened," Long said. "It was getting a little scary, but it just made us want to win even more."

Ned Sparks, MPSSAA's executive director, said he hopes to complete an investigation this week, then make a determination as to whether the game will go down as a Dunbar forfeit or a "no contest."

"The first thing we'll do is get ahold of the officials and coaches and review what happened," Sparks said. "I've heard some horrible stories, but I need to hear some facts first."

Fort Hill principal Steve Lewis was out of town for the weekend, but said he felt confident the game officials would have intervened if they had thought the teams were losing control of themselves.

"I can't believe they thought anything like that was going on," Lewis said, "or they would have stopped the game and gone to administrators for help to control it."

"We left under a crowd of boos," said Jefferies, who added that his team received its $2,500 check from Fort Hill for coming to the game, as part of a negotiated contract.

Said Appel, who is in his first year as Fort Hill's head coach after serving as an assistant the previous 15 seasons: "I'm embarrassed by the whole thing. If there's guilt, I want to take care of it, but if it's not true, I don't want to be falsely accused."

[Terpfan76]

There's also video available on youtube. Coach Jefferies states that a fight was inevitable but if you watch the video of the end of the game, the only way a fight would have broke out is if his players started one.

I wasn't on the field so I can't say whether or not the players made comments or not, but I cannot for one moment believe that if such things were taking place the refs ignored it.

Also, I read a comment on another board where they stated that if you listen to the video closely, you'll hear that one of FH's players and one of the refs share the same last name, Broadwater. Broadwater is a very common name in this area, so the fact that these two shared the same last name should not lead one to suspect collusion as the poster on the other board was subtly implying.

[firstdown]

It sounds like a coach who came to the game with a chip on their shoulder and threw in the towl when he and his own players lost their tempers.

[Terpfan76]

It has also come to light that Dunbar(D.C.)'s players tore up a bathroom in a local restaurant prior to the game.

[ArtMonkDrillz]

Originally Posted by Terpfan76

It has also come to light that Dunbar(D.C.)'s players tore up a bathroom in a local restaurant prior to the game.

Maybe they just got food poisoning or ate something really spicey. Either way, their bathroom habits have no place here. Geeze, Grow up.

[Terpfan76]

Originally Posted by ArtMonkDrillz

Maybe they just got food poisoning or ate something really spicey. Either way, their bathroom habits have no place here. Geeze, Grow up.

For crying out loud, they tore a urinal off the wall, they didn't defecate everywhere.

More importantly, my condolences go out to the family of Miss Boseman.

[SmootSmack]

Meanwhile, real tragedy hits Dunbar

washingtonpost.com

[over the mountain]

man i hate seeing good young people go too early in life . . . that dunbar fort hill race thing: ive heard too many conflicting stories to make my own view but having been involved in sporting events that end because of massive brawls and having an opposing team coach pick me up and give me a knee breaker when i was 12 i will tell you "if things are getting out of hand with young high intensity kids, no matter the cause or whose to blame, its best to end it there before things get out of control."

that being said aswell, their is no good reason for dunbar players to rip a urenil off a wall unless the coach doesnt instill good values and team identity.

[BDBohnzie]

Wilbon wrote about it in the Post today...