Timmons says they must play

[TxGrayhat]

Is it normal to empty a gym after a fight happens in basketball ?  Football guy no clue about thump thump

http://jacksonvilleprogress.com/sports/x756276836/Indians-gain-a-2-0-forfeit-over-Kilgore

[TXMike]

Games (including football ones) have been played without spectators being allowed in but that is from the outset of teh game I believe, not mid-point.  Perhaps B-ball guys have been told to call the motehrship when  they have a unique situation but seems to me if they deemed it was safe to continue the game they should have done so immediately.  If not, then declare it suspended and go home to do your UIL report.  Then UIL can decide what to do.

[Arbitrator]

 

Totally agreed, Mike! In the meager handful of suspended basketball games that I've had in my long career, we simply "called" the game and left the administrators free to contact the UIL about any possible game resumption activity. That, and in the days prior to the internet, we just filed an incident letter with the UIL by snail-mail after having notified our Chapter Secretary. We didn't have any contact person at the UIL to call.

Once the UIL acknowledged the letter, our Chapter Secretary might have gotten a phone call from some administrative clerk at the UIL, but he and the Chapter President handled all the details locally.

I can't believe that someone in "UIL leadership" like the   Dancing Monkey would voluntarily place himself in the line of liability along with the game officials, the game administrators, and the head coaches, by authorizing that the game "go on!" If a subsequent fight breaks out in the resumed game and someone gets badly hurt, then it's all too apparent that there would be a very long laundry list of folks who would be deemed culpible over their signing off on allowing the resumption of play. It just goes to show you the exact kind of intelligent leadership that they're doling out their dollars for down there on Manor Road; the same kind of leadership, I might add, that is all too desirous to just "do in" TASO and place themselves in being the annointed Tsar for all of the Texas high school sports officials!  

[TexDoc]

It appears that TT put the "importance" of a game ahead of the safety of the players.  That should not surprise anyone.

[Etref]

# 1

Sounds like the game officials did not have the stones to shut it down.

#2

Sounds like micro-management on the part of Timmons.

[Joe Stack]

Its hard to tell if what was written was the exact way things went down, but if the reported course of events was accurate, they really had 2 sensible options:

1. Continue the game without spectators; inform both coaches that their teams are not excused from completing the game. This action should only be taken on 2 conditions:
a) the officials do not feel a continuation would endanger the players (without the crowd there, it usually won't) and b) we have a "Come to Jesus" meeting with the players that includes a well worded  speech from the R about this behavior not being tolerable. I've found that if you can isolate the coaches together beforehand, tell them what you are going to say to the players and let them know that much of your intent is to keep their minds focused on playing basketball rather than following through on all threats, you'll be in better shape. If the coaches aren't cooperative, you go to:

2. SUSPEND the game and let administrators decide. This should ALWAYS be done when there's a question of anyone's safety -- including that of the officials -- if the game is at risk. I can't fathom anyone getting in trouble for suspending a game, even if it is being too cautious, as long as there was an event like a fight or an assault that reasonably put someone's safety at risk.

I'm not calling anyone at the game site. I, as an R, was put in the position to make tough decisions and I will make them. If it causes heart-ache later, so be it. As long as you behave reasonably, there isn't much anyone can do.