Coach Arrested At Sanderson v Marfa Football Game

I agree with Tebow, the angle of the film shows 6 vs 2 in the fight. The officials ment nothing to the fighters, they ignored them. The best way to stop a melee is to separate the combatants. (And NEVER turn your back on them). As a former law enforcement officer that has had to break up these types of altercations, my criticism is reserved for the way the aftermath was handled by the police, a decision that I believe was ill advised and unnecessary, but it does play well for the local population. In my opinion, Marfa will pay for this police grandstanding and over reaction for many years while the coach’s name and actions are long forgotten.
Collect the names of all parties, Remove everyone from the field, escort them to the busses, escort the busses out of town and allow the Justice System to work. It’s an embarrassment to the community, both communities actually, but arresting the coach at the field and leading him away in handcuffs looks like a “Local Yokel Barney Fife” moment.
Okay, fire away ...........
 
Here is what I don't like about it. He NEVER put his hands on his kids to break this fight up. He ONLY placed his hands on 2 Marfa kids. BAD move... I agree that kid was probably not hurt too badly, but to admonish him from any wrong doing, No. He certainly threw the kid with enough force to send the kid to the ground, how much was a flop to make it look worse? Some certainly.

He never laid his hands on his kids. Never moved them to his sideline. Nothing. Overall, he is in a bad spot.

Arrest... Seems a little far. Fired...most definitely.

Glad we got to see the video.
 
From the looks of it, the Marfa coach might need to be investigated. It may have been a set-up. Did you see how he waited for his player turn his flip, and then he dashed into action and ran up to Donnell and began accusing him of assaulting his player?!
You know, with some unscrupulous folks, when you are getting beat, anything goes!
 
And, when you see the video, he couldn’t place his hands on his own players without first pulling off the opposing players. Come on people, the very worst that should have happened is that the game was called at that point and everyone sent to the house.
 
I’m sorry but if I’m breaking up a fight I’m not going to go searching for my players specifically to get them first. You end the fight as quickly as possible even if that means pulling the player out of the pile right in front of you whether it’s yours or not.
 
Johnny South":38k40pdm said:
And, when you see the video, he couldn’t place his hands on his own players without first pulling off the opposing players. Come on people, the very worst that should have happened is that the game was called at that point and everyone sent to the house.
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he literally passed one of his players to go to the second marfa player.

again.. shouldn't have been arrested
 
Until you've ever been in a situation like this, you don't know how you will react. How many of you have received any training on how to break up a fight during a football game? I bet maybe one, or none! Acting on adrenaline, you react as quick as you can to end the situation. You don't have time to think about being delicate or forceful. You just act! Everyone can learn something from this situation. A school employee should not be held liable for a situation like this. The officers went overboard on doing what they did. The game should have been called after the situation, and if further action was needed, it could of been taken care of after everyone had vacated the stadium. Just my opinion.
 
The video appears to show a coach doing what coaches do in that situation. Separate the knuckleheads fighting and get the game back on line. He pulled the first player gingerly out of the fray and somehow got his hand on the collar of the second player who was taller and pulled him over in fashion which might have caused the player to fall, but not in a hurtful manner at all. The second player is definitely aware of how to flop. I agree the opposing coach was wrong calling in the police. Sad deal.
 
51eleven":9dv8ok75 said:
Swept under the rug. Long way for an investigative media team to travel for a 6 man game.
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Guess I was wrong, again. I didn't expect the video to be made available to the public if it existed. I thought there might be legal ramifications for parties involved.


After watching it I think 5 times, pausing the last two repeatedly I have to ask why. Tell me how I'm wrong, please. The coach pushes one player away not actively involved in the "scrum". Then as he passes the next one he turns back, grabs his jersey and slings him down. Still a ways from the middle of the "scrum". The kid was not close to what was left of the middle of the "fight". Why didn't he just push him away from it like he did the first one he encountered?

I'm not trying to judge. Just asking why. Why weren't all the ref's right in the middle of the mess stopping it?
 
There was absolutely no reason to grab that young man and throw him to the ground. If you watch, the kid was standing upright and not fighting when the coach grabbed him and through him to the ground. The kid had stopped and stood up straight. I don’t agree with the fact the coach was arrested, the refs obviously were not doing their job. However the coaches actions were not right and he should’ve been thrown out and perhaps suspended but not arrested. Just my view
 
Swift22":2ws9og63 said:
the refs obviously were not doing their job.
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What is the refs job in that situation? High school officials ARE NOT allowed to put hands on players to break up a fight. Their number 1 job in a fight is to step back and start writing down numbers of those involved. The coaches are tasked with removing their own players from the fight.
 
By no means are the refs to touch a player. There should not be a need for that. I just thought a refs job was to be responsible for enforcing the Laws of the Game. He or she is the final decision-making authority on all facts connected with play, the authority to start and stop play and impose disciplinary action against player or coaches. I wasn’t there so maybe I’m wrong but I played sports my whole life and was a ref for a few years. Looks to me like they let things get out of control. Then again that’s my assumption and maybe I’m wrong.
 
Some situations can be avoided and some cannot. Did the refs do what they could to keep this from happening, I can’t say. I was speculating and I did say the refs didn’t do their job and for that I apologize and I appreciate you bringing it up. I’ll be more careful in the future.
 
Swift22":nq32z8wo said:
Some situations can be avoided and some cannot. Did the refs do what they could to keep this from happening, I can’t say. I was speculating and I did say the refs didn’t do their job and for that I apologize and I appreciate you bringing it up. I’ll be more careful in the future.
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Experienced officials can sense when a game is going to head south and can usually avoid having a Marfa-Sanderson situation by preventive dead-ball officiating. There are those rare instances, though, where it explodes in a split second with no warning whatsoever.

We had a game last year in which everything was running smoothly. The players were polite and respectful there was no chippy action after plays, everything was normal. Then after a running play, there was a single late hit and the benches cleared. We had 7 ejections that night.
 
A mother with a new born was breast feeding her baby when a deputy knocked on her door and arrested her for stealing her daughter’s cell phone. The mother explained that she had taken the phone away from her 15 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER as discipline for getting in trouble at school. The deputy put her in handcuffs and TOOK HER TO JAIL anyway! MARFA ??
No Michigan, but if had been Marfa I wouldn’t have been surprised, would you ?
Where is Barney Fife when you really need him ?
Just asking..........
 
JasonTX":1pt9e8mx said:
Swift22":1pt9e8mx said:
the refs obviously were not doing their job.
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What is the refs job in that situation? High school officials ARE NOT allowed to put hands on players to break up a fight. Their number 1 job in a fight is to step back and start writing down numbers of those involved. The coaches are tasked with removing their own players from the fight.
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I did not realize ref's were not allowed to put their hands on players to break up fights. I guess I never really thought about it but thinking back I don't ever remember seeing it happen. Makes sense, they can't be accused of favoring one team over the other by their actions in such a situation. By the same token they should be able to yell along the lines of "Break it up Now, Go To Your Sideline, Break it up Now or You Will Be Ejected."
 
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