Well this is an interesting development.
Norwich Free Academy preempted the CIAC football committee’s pending ‘Score Management’ decision by suspending football coach Jemal Davis one week for defeating Stamford 51-0, according to our own Dave Ruden.
Dave caught up with Stamford athletic director Jim Moriarty and NFA’s Gary Makowicki to get the details of the deal.
From Moriarty:
“He told me he didn’t like the way the game was handled and they were going to suspend him for a week,” Moriarty said. “We are going to accept it. …(Makowicki) told me (Davis) is getting carried away and they were embarrassed by what he did.”
From Makowicki:
“We weren’t looking to take the CIAC off the hook, we did what we thought was right,” Makowicki said. “We met and we support all the CIAC’s efforts to promote sportsmanship. There was no intent to embarrass anybody in the way the game transpired.”
Read Ruden’s whole story’s here.
Once school got out at NFA, the players were naturally upset at the proceedings.
Me and my bro @ramelstayballin started the #FreeCoachDavis MOVEMENT !!
— Marky Mark $$$ (@PrinceOutlow) October 22, 2012
And the news began picking up steam… Here’s outrage from Barstool Sports.
So this is where we are now as a society? The coach of the team that lost 51-0 is quoted as saying “He’s not really OK with the 51 points scored? He is “annoyed” at the other team. Hey buddy here is a wild thought. If you don’t like getting 51 hung on your a** maybe you should get better?
Hooboy. Well then…
Couple things on the ruling:
1. This was a good public relations move by NFA and athletic director Gary Makowicki (if it indeed happened this way). Why wait for the CIAC committee to make a move when you, as an administrator and a boss, can make the move yourself? That’s brilliant PR. Well done, NFA.
2. This preemptive strike deflates any further outrage against the misguided and stupid ‘Score Management’ policy over this particular case. The CIAC appeals committee didn’t need to make a decision. They’ve skirted enforcing the policy again.
Hey, NFA suspended Davis, not us. Score management lives. All’s well.
Move along. Nothing to see here.
3. ARRRRRGHHH!!!!! I really, really, really wanted the CIAC to make a decision on this. Just DUMP THE DUMB POLICY. Do we have to go through this rigamarole every … single … time?!?!
Good lord, we are a backward state.
Anyway…
Here’s the whole breakdown of the online response following NFA’s decision.
Coach Davis should show up with a wig, fake beard, and sunglasses on the sideline next game…Bobby Valentine got away with that once with the Mets…
SPB, I couldn’t agree more with all three of your points. That said, if this is the rule, it is classy, not just good PR, for NFA to decide to abide by it rather than the typical appeal charade. And that said, from afar it sounds like there is more to this story than just a historic grudge, questionable sportsmanship and self-application of the rule.
Agree that the 50 point rule is ridiculous and should be tossed.
Also firmly believe that when the lead exceeds 40+ points and the game is out of reach, any decent high school coach should pull his starters and send in the JV. If the JV scores, so be it.
Protects the starters, provides real game experience for the younger players and sends a clear signal from the winning coach that you aren’t “piling on”.
We don’t need a rule, we need gentlemen.
I have no idea why it is so hard for these coaches to display sportsmanship. If your starters are up by 21 points in the first qtr and can score at will, the game is not a challenge. Put in your second string and let them get experience, if they prove too much, unload the JVsters from the bench. The losing team should do the same.
@ 3 & 4….Agree totally…It’s sportsmanship you want to teach the kids…Not greed
stamford high school is a LL school. they are not some class s school from a “non power” conference; they are an fciac team! just a thought; maybe they should have prepared better for those “explosive” plays…
@6 Not all class LL teams in the FCIAC are created equal…It’s getting harder for the bigger inter city public schools to field teams to play football…That includes Stamford High
Suspend the Stamford Coach for the season. A LL school got lumped up by 51, it could have been 81. Coach your team, get them ready to play. You are the embarassment, not Coach Davis.
wow it sounds like nfa is a power house how many state champs do they have?? before you think the fciac is soft go play the top 10 and report back.
Stamford….51 points on sweep c’mon
Take a look at the official running down the field in the Southington vs. Glastonbury game. That dude can lumber!