Letter: Athletic Association’s Playoff ruling unfair to local basketball team

DEAR EDITOR,

My name is Carl Dewey. I have been a local sports fan for more than 35 years. I am about to turn 50 next week.

I want to applaud your paper on the outstanding coverage you all do on local high school athletics. To me, high school sports are part of the fabric of the community, and I love to see the tales of the local men and women be told through your paper.

Today, I wanted to chime in with my opinion on a topic that’s been discussed heavily in the local sports scene involving the Central Lafourche boys’ basketball team.

Today, I want to state that the LHSAA’s ruling to suspend all players for one game was wrong and not fair. I think the Trojans were robbed out of an opportunity to showcase themselves – something they had worked diligently for all season.

I understand that there was a fight or a brawl at the East St. John game, and that is not OK. But accounts say that the fight was centered around two kids before several others joined in.

Let me ask LHSAA Executive Director Eddie Bonine a question. Mr. Bonine, if your son was out in public with friends and was being attacked, would you want the friends to run and hide or help out to ensure your son’s safety?

I know I’d want the latter, because that is what friendship is about – keeping your brothers safe when they are in harm’s way.

The LHSAA should have suspended the two young men who instigated this incident, but they should have shown mercy and forgiveness to the others who became part of it all after the fact.

If I were a coach, I know I’d be happy that my guys stood up for their teammate in chaos. That’s what they’re supposed to do.