The Fans Opinion

Crosstown Shootout: The Aftermath Debacle

So yesterday I am sitting at home on the couch watching the Crosstown Shootout with Xavier hosting Cincinnati in their annual rivalry game that has gone on for 79 years now.

So the game is a blowout and I am switching back and forth between a few games. It starts to get a little chippy between the players right before halftime. I make a mental note to turn back to the game for the last few minutes on the clock to see what happens at the end of the game.

Me and a few members of the family watching the game make a few comments and wagers on if there is going to be confrontations after the game. The opinions range from a fight on the court to a few players getting shot in a parking lot in the wee hours of the morning after the game.

I turn back to the game with 3:03 left on the clock. We all know what happens next. The point of this article is to discuss the outrageous errors of the coaching staffs and the Universities decisions after the altercation not to point out the obvious lack of sportsmanship and court safety shown by both teams.

What was Coach Mack thinking letting two of his players (Holloway and Lyons) talk to the press in a post game news conference?

For that matter what were the two coaches doing talking to the press without seeing the video evidence of the confrontation and having the answers?

Next we have Coach Cronin taking a hard-line stance and telling us that players will not be on the team if the video shows evidence of them being out of control.

Finally today the Universities announce the suspensions of the players involved in the altercation.

I am not going to go into the individual suspensions because it is not necessary to make my point. The bottom line is that the most severe punishment is a six game suspension.

First of all NO ONE should have said anything after the game!

Both coaches should have declined an interview until the situation had calmed down and the facts could be attained. Then all players on both teams should have been advised by the coaches that after they watch the video evidence of the altercation there will be players that won’t be apart of the team for the future.

Coach Cronin claims he told all his players to take their jersey’s off after the game because he was ‘embarrassed’. He should have told them to turn their jersey’s in and if they were on the team for the future he would hand them back at a later date.

The Universities should have given both coaches a 3 game suspension to start with.

Next all players that threw punches, kicks, or were uncontrollable by the coaches should have been immediately dismissed from the team. Then the players that were mouthing off and inciting the situation should have been suspended accordingly. If that means the teams need to forfeit a few games so be it.

The principle of sportsmanship and court safety should be the only thing that matters to both Universities.

Since obviously the Universities can’t get their acts together the NCAA needs to step in and dish out some justice.

I am all about being able to defend yourself and demand respect. But when you are blowing out a team by 20 points and they are mouthing off, you just walk off the court and let your play speak for itself.

WE SPEAK OUR MIND! NO PUNCHES PULLED HERE!