31 suspension after a bench clearing football brawl in Florida. Who’s to blame?
Are the coaches and faculty without blame?
Governor Bush Weighs in on Miami-FIU Brawl
Bush: ‘It Was Horrible, a Complete Embarrassment’
Separated by only 9 miles, Florida International and the University of Miami are worlds apart when it comes to football. The crosstown matchup of underdog versus perennial power stirred strong sentiments when they met for the first time Saturday night, and emotions erupted in the second half with a bench-clearing brawl.
“It’s unfortunate that some folks who have never heard of Florida International University now associate it with what occurred at the Orange Bowl on Saturday night,” said Alvarez, class of ’74. “FIU has made great strides as a university. It has a law school and is going to have a medical school. It’s a first-rate school.”
No one was injured, but the melee has been played repeatedly on national television, hurting the image of both schools.
Was this matter overblown or were the 31 suspensions justified?
Overblown? They didn’t even begin to get serious enough with what happened down there. Part of the issue here is as you said, they are just 9 miles apart! Many of these kids played against each other in high school down there in Florida. Some went on to the “U” as they like to call themselves while others who couldn’t afford it or just weren’t quite good enough went to FIU. There was already a rivalary built in because of this. Now add to it that Larrry Coker (Miami coach) doesn’t have a clue as to how to handle his team (see examples from earlier this year as well as their blowout loss to LSU in last years bowl game) and you have the perfect mixture for a melee such as this. The “U” has had a long history of questionable behavior. The coach of FIU (Don Strock) played professional football so he too should know better how control his players. Both coaches should be relieved of their duties. That won’t happen because the alumni would have a fit and the presidents of these universities don’t have the balls to do anything! It’s a sad situation that will only serve to show others that they can get away with something similar and only recieve a slap on the wrist.
Miami RedHawks football head coach Mike Haywood on Bronco Review
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