from the Toledo Blade
<<Photo leads to suspension of 7 Bowling  Green players

By JOHN  WAGNER
BLADE SPORTS WRITER


BOWLING GREEN - Seven Bowling Green State  University hockey players were
suspended yesterday for their roles in a racially  insensitive incident that was
captured in a photograph.
The suspended players are Ryan Barnett, Steve Brudzewski, Bryan Dobek, Mike
Falk, Don Morrison, Brett Pilkington and Alex Rogosheske.
All seven are suspended indefinitely, said BG hockey coach Scott Paluch; they
 did not practice yesterday, and Paluch said the players' status for this
weekend's games against Lake Superior State has not been determined.
On Monday the Sentinel-Tribune newspaper in Bowling Green received a
photograph in the mail from an unknown sender. The photo, taken in April 2003,  shows
eight males, five of whom were identified as members of this year's team.
The identities of the other three people in the photo are not known.
The reason the two players not in the photo were suspended is not known.
One Bowling Green player is shown, face down and naked, with a profanity and
racial slurs written on his body in colored marker, according to the
newspaper.
Paluch said he did not know if more disciplinary action would be taken,
citing the on-going nature of the investigation.
"We're continuing to investigate, looking into all the facts and gathering
information," Paluch said.
BG athletic director Paul Krebs said the details behind the photo, including
where it was taken and who sent it to the newspaper, still are not known.
"We're still trying to ascertain all the facts," Krebs said. "I don't know
that that is important right now; what's important is our values and what we
stand for as a hockey team, athletic department and university, and trying to
protect our program and our university."
Krebs said the suspended players also may face disciplinary action from the
university.
"Any violation of the student judicial code means that is a possibility,"
Krebs said. "There is still fact-finding going on, but the folks in Student
Judicial Affairs are aware of the situation, and we have been working with them
this afternoon."
No Bowling Green players were made available for comment.
Six of the suspended players are forwards; Morrison plays defense. Brudzewski
 and Rogosheske are seniors and the rest are juniors. Five of the seven
played in  both games of BG's season-opening series at Union College; Dobek played
in one  game and Barnett did not see action.
Falk had a goal in the series, and Morrison and Pilkington had assists as
Bowling Green won both games for the program's first 2-0 start since the 1996-97
 season.
The seven suspensions leave the Falcons with only 20 players on the active
roster. Three of those players are goalies, meaning BG is one skater short of
the 18 allowed to dress for a game.
"We were pleased with the practice we had today with the guys we have,"
Paluch said. "We're upbeat, and we're ready for Lake Superior."
BG plays host to the Lakers at the BG Ice Arena Friday at 7:05 p.m. and
Saturday at 2:35 p.m.>>