Hey all, been a long time since I've posted so I'd like to begin by saying thank you to everyone who keeps the chain going while the rest of us watch from the sidelines. Even though I'm now a handful of years out of school I still find this board to be a fantastic extension of the on-the-field excitement.
That being said, I have chosen to break my silence for an absolutely heart-breaking reason. As some of you may or may not know, today's game between Amherst and Rutgers-Newark was packed with drama but marred by racism that has become all too prevalent in today's society. Before I attempt to recap the specific events, I want to mention that I wasn't there and I was unable to stream the game. What I have to say is based on what I've heard from those in attendance. Therefore I apologize if I describe anything incorrectly. I welcome anyone with more information to let their voice be heard because I think this topic goes far beyond sports rivalries.
Fikayo Ajayi, a great player and even better person, was called a ni**** by one of the RUN players in the first few minutes of OT. His response, and justifiably so in my opinion, was to confront the RUN player with pointed language of his own (F bombs, etc.), which led to a scuffle and a yellow card for Fikayo and the deplorable RUN player. The referee did not hear the original insult from the RUN player but had heard the response from Fikayo, which led the RUN coach to suggest that Fikayo was the only one deserving of a yellow card. After everyone had been calmed down the game was allowed to continue and moments later Fikayo received a second yellow and was sent off. I'm not sure what the second offense was for but I imagine emotions were still running extremely high. Thankfully karma prevailed and soon Amherst was able to net the game winner, sending RUN home with nothing but a huge loss.
Now... I HOPE we can all agree that what the RUN player did was terrible... that should be a given. However, what I want to address are two things that bubbled to the surface following the game.
1) is that the referee later claimed to the Amherst coaching staff that he believed Fikayo had made up the insult. That it had never occurred. To this I have to say ARE YOU F***ING KIDDING ME. Why would someone make that up? Short answer - they wouldn't. And even if the referee is ignorant enough to believe that the insult was fabricated, WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT TO HIS COACH!!!! If you didn't hear it then I can understand that you would be hesitant to dish out punishment purely based on the opposing players reaction, but for me a ref suggesting that the player made it up is NEVER appropriate.
2) The RUN coach not only complained about his player receiving a yellow, but he was bold enough to suggest that the player would not have said such a thing because he was hispanic and went to church on a weekly basis. THIS. IS. ABSURD. Suggesting someone can't be racist because they are also a minority? That they are immune to accusations of racism because they worship a higher power on a weekly basis? This is ignorance at its finest. I understand that a coach is inclined to protect and defend his players but for me racism is where respectable coach's need to draw the line. If you are a collegiate soccer coach then your job should revolve around two things: winning as many soccer games as possible and grooming your student athletes to become the best person they can be. If todays events was any indication I would say that RUN is failing miserably at the latter.
I don't post this to start a debate and I don't plan to reply to any thread that stems from this post. All I would like to do is make sure that things like this do not go unnoticed. Everyone should be held accountable for their actions and I hope that the Rutgers-Newark players and staff are held accountable for theirs.
That being said, I have chosen to break my silence for an absolutely heart-breaking reason. As some of you may or may not know, today's game between Amherst and Rutgers-Newark was packed with drama but marred by racism that has become all too prevalent in today's society. Before I attempt to recap the specific events, I want to mention that I wasn't there and I was unable to stream the game. What I have to say is based on what I've heard from those in attendance. Therefore I apologize if I describe anything incorrectly. I welcome anyone with more information to let their voice be heard because I think this topic goes far beyond sports rivalries.
Fikayo Ajayi, a great player and even better person, was called a ni**** by one of the RUN players in the first few minutes of OT. His response, and justifiably so in my opinion, was to confront the RUN player with pointed language of his own (F bombs, etc.), which led to a scuffle and a yellow card for Fikayo and the deplorable RUN player. The referee did not hear the original insult from the RUN player but had heard the response from Fikayo, which led the RUN coach to suggest that Fikayo was the only one deserving of a yellow card. After everyone had been calmed down the game was allowed to continue and moments later Fikayo received a second yellow and was sent off. I'm not sure what the second offense was for but I imagine emotions were still running extremely high. Thankfully karma prevailed and soon Amherst was able to net the game winner, sending RUN home with nothing but a huge loss.
Now... I HOPE we can all agree that what the RUN player did was terrible... that should be a given. However, what I want to address are two things that bubbled to the surface following the game.
1) is that the referee later claimed to the Amherst coaching staff that he believed Fikayo had made up the insult. That it had never occurred. To this I have to say ARE YOU F***ING KIDDING ME. Why would someone make that up? Short answer - they wouldn't. And even if the referee is ignorant enough to believe that the insult was fabricated, WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT TO HIS COACH!!!! If you didn't hear it then I can understand that you would be hesitant to dish out punishment purely based on the opposing players reaction, but for me a ref suggesting that the player made it up is NEVER appropriate.
2) The RUN coach not only complained about his player receiving a yellow, but he was bold enough to suggest that the player would not have said such a thing because he was hispanic and went to church on a weekly basis. THIS. IS. ABSURD. Suggesting someone can't be racist because they are also a minority? That they are immune to accusations of racism because they worship a higher power on a weekly basis? This is ignorance at its finest. I understand that a coach is inclined to protect and defend his players but for me racism is where respectable coach's need to draw the line. If you are a collegiate soccer coach then your job should revolve around two things: winning as many soccer games as possible and grooming your student athletes to become the best person they can be. If todays events was any indication I would say that RUN is failing miserably at the latter.
I don't post this to start a debate and I don't plan to reply to any thread that stems from this post. All I would like to do is make sure that things like this do not go unnoticed. Everyone should be held accountable for their actions and I hope that the Rutgers-Newark players and staff are held accountable for theirs.