The truth is we (hockey-l participants not at Clarkson and on the ice at the time) do not and perhaps cannot actually know what went on.  We get stories.  The "fact" that 6 players apparently came up with the same story and the coach chose not to attempt to refute it suggests to me that the story was true - but that's only a guess.

The suggestion, however, that someone who chooses not to even refute an accusation because the administration should know enough about him to dismiss the charges is in any way a viable defense is, IMO, wrong.  Coach Morris wouldn't be the first human being with a good and long service record who inexplicably lost his cool and did something completely out of character.  I know nothing about the man in the first place and am merely assuming the attack on the player was out of character.  Maybe he's done things like this before; maybe he just learned distressing family news; maybe anything.  People live lives outside of their professions and sometimes those lives impact on professional performance.  Thus, "You know me so should dismiss the charges" doesn't seem like much of a defense to me.  Indeed, it merely serves to suggest the coach either knows a defense is pointless because the charges are true or that he has an ego problem.  At best, such a defense is arrogant.

Just one opinion, of course.

Tom Rowe                            UWSP dept of Psych
=============================
Home of Division III National Champion Pointers
89, 90, 91 & 93 and National Runners-up 92 & 98
===================================


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bob Woodbury [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Saturday, December 07, 2002 8:45 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Article on Clarkson- Morris Absolved by Bertagna
>
>
> Guess in fairness, I have to ask when it is OK for a player
> to assult a
> coach.
> I think the answer, in this day and age, is that the player
> knows he can
> get away with it.
> In this case, the coach at been at that institution for a
> long time. He
> felt he had done nothing wrong, had in fact been wronged and if the
> administration didn't know who he was and what he stood for at this
> point, there was no use in participating in an exercise that
> ostensibly
> had already been determined by the PC Police.
> Just a thought.
>
> [log in to unmask] wrote:
>
> >In a message dated 12/5/2002 8:09:00 PM Eastern Standard Time,
> >[log in to unmask] writes:
> >
> >
> >>Larry, let's leave aside the above description for a
> minute.  I want you to
> >>explain to the good folks on Hockey L why it is okay for a
> coach to assault
> >>a player, under any circumstance.  Isn't a coach supposed
> to be a leader, a
> >>molder of young men (and women)?  How is a coach leading,
> how is he setting
> >>an example by whaling away at some kid. This kind of stuff
> may be okay in
> >>your military (not mine) but it sure isn't okay on a
> university campus.
> >>a) I don't know what military you are in? b) Coach Morris
> never had a
> >>chance and I think the whole thing was part of a conspiracy aimed at
> >>hurting mens sports at Clarkson and certainly there should
> be a made for tv
> >>movie about the whole imbroglio and c) my favorite all time Canadian
> >>proverb- "if you can't beat 'em in the alley - you can't
> beat 'em on the
> >>ice- I have written Bryant Gumbel and expect Real Sports to
> do an expose;
> >>d) Joe Bertanga is a "standup" guy and deserves credit for
> this- in my day-
> >>the teacher (or coach) was always right.
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> >
>