Championship trophy not enough for some

[tbgfan 856]

Truly heartbreaking that the actions of a few would ruin this special day for a team. I honestly don't understand the mentality of someone doing this. Did they not realize they would be caught or just didn't care?

 

 

December 15, 2010

 

 

All:

 

I want to personally apologize on behalf of my team.

 

What happened has embarrassed and humiliated this team, Phoebus High School, Hampton City School and Eastern Region of VA.

 

I take full responsibility for the actions of my team. Immediate disciplinary action was taken. All involved have identified and have been reprimanded under the guidelines set by Hampton City Schools.

 

Please try to hold your judgment on Phoebus football due to five individuals that put themselves before the team.

 

My staff did a remarkable job returning ALL items taken.

 

I greatly appreciate our fans here on virginiapreps.com and hrvarsity.com.

 

I will do my best to do what it takes to repair our reputation here at Phoebus and try to regain the respect that has been lost due to this incident.

 

To all of our fans you are the BEST and I am deeply sorry that we have disappointed you.

 

To the others we here at Phoebus will continue to provide a quality program and hopefully regain your respect.

 

I am very sorry,

Stan Sexton

Head Football Coach

Phoebus High School

 

The story as reported by the Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/14/AR2010121406048.html

[Guest The Variable]

Coaches should take away from this that you dont let your players leave valuables unattended. Kids need the ipods/mp3 players to help pump up for the game and the cell phones to keep in contact with the parents. Either assign someone to watch these valuables or collect them into a bag and carry it out to the field. I am glad they got their stuff back, this could have been much worse.

 

What those players did was wrong and completely unethical. I think the players responsible should be stripped of recognition for the championship game. No ring, no name on the wall, nothing. They did this while participating in a VHSL even and thus should be punished accordingly. I hope the other players take care of these guys but its Phebus, and while their football program is vaunted, the behavior of the students there is often called into question.

 

The appology is appropriate but does not fix things.

[redtiger 1,742]

That kind of action is inexcuseable! Honestly I think that if im playing in a state title game I have more important things to do than steal someones ipod. I really think they should be banned from competing in any extracurricular activities for the rest of the year and next football season(for the under classmen) thats just rediculious!

 

The coach from Battlefield should have enough good sense to collect all valuables in a bag and have someone be responsable for them maybe the bus driver or carry them w/ the sideline equipment. One has to be smart and keep a lookout for idiots

[Jason 299]

Should never been unattended. A school needs to have lock boxes to take along with their teams and have a person designated to watch over it. It is a dang shame though that there are theives in this world. Nothing I hate more than a thief or a murderer and they are tied at number 1.

[LegendatLegion 109]

I wonder how Granpa Cletis is taking this news. Is phantom gonna be the Christmas dinner?

[P-Town Proud 10]

That kind of action is inexcuseable! Honestly I think that if im playing in a state title game I have more important things to do than steal someones ipod. I really think they should be banned from competing in any extracurricular activities for the rest of the year and next football season(for the under classmen) thats just rediculious!

 

The coach from Battlefield should have enough good sense to collect all valuables in a bag and have someone be responsable for them maybe the bus driver or carry them w/ the sideline equipment. One has to be smart and keep a lookout for idiots

Agreed but it sure is a shame that we as a society have to now be responsible for making sure we keep our hands in our own pockets. You are right. Someone always out there looking to rip you off. I just have to be more diligent in teaching my kids that. This is a BIG deal here in this part of the world. There are some that have called for their state title to be yanked. Too extreme for me but is has given the program the proverbial black eye.

[redtiger 1,742]

It is a shame, I honestly think it is because there is little/are few reprocussions for this sort of activity. If I caught someone going through my stuff back when I was in high school there would have been a fight! And if I would have stole something my mom would have grounded me for months, not to mention told EVERYONE to shame me! Another problem is too often it isint emphasized on kids that they arent simply playing a sport, they are representing their school, communities, families and their team mates. Wearing those colors isint a privilage it is a burden, a responsibility

 

I think stripping them of their state title is way too far, no need to punish the whole team for the actions of a few.

 

All of that being said a player on a local team a player stole some items from his team mates(he had to quit the team because he was going to get his a$s kicked), there was no proof that he did it but everyone knew he did. That kind of bs is everywhere, whats wrong with kids! I sound like a old man and im only 25!lol

Edited December 18, 2010 by redtiger

[Bigrhsfan 884]

Agreed but it sure is a shame that we as a society have to now be responsible for making sure we keep our hands in our own pockets. You are right. Someone always out there looking to rip you off. I just have to be more diligent in teaching my kids that. This is a BIG deal here in this part of the world. There are some that have called for their state title to be yanked. Too extreme for me but is has given the program the proverbial black eye.

 

Yea P-Town, it's a shame that we even have to worry about anything like that happening while the young men are out trying to win a state championship or for that matter to ever have to worry about your personal things being taken.

I think that stripping the state championship from the whole team is too much though.

You end up punishing the good kids that had nothing to do with what happened and also the town and it's fans.

But it really gives them a black eye.

I think the kids that were responsible should not be allowed to play any other sport for the remainder of this school year.

I would think they are paying a high price in their town for what they have done with the shame they have brought on themselves and their team. But of course, some are beyond shame and never lose a minute of sleep over doing something like this. I don't know if that is the case with these young men or not.

As far as next year goes for any underclassmen, I just am not sure, I hate the thoughts of a thief more then just about anything, but I also think there are ways to maybe help these young men teach other younger men how "NOT" to act in that situation.

Maybe some type of community service were they would have to talk to underclass athletes about what they have done and what it has cost them. Maybe it would help to stop another from doing that very same thing !

[redtiger 1,742]

Im a bigfan of community service in general and that sounds like a good punishment to me. Make it a prerequsite for the underclassmen to play football next year, 40 hours(or however many are deemed suiable) of community service is to be completed by next football season or they cant play.

 

Even though the whole team wasnt involved I find it hard to believe that other team members besides the ones whole stole the items didnt know it was going to happen and they should be heald accountable on some level.

 

Maybe an old school type of punishment is in order, maybe extra gassers at the end of next years practice for the ones involved?

[Bigrhsfan 884]

Im a bigfan of community service in general and that sounds like a good punishment to me. Make it a prerequsite for the underclassmen to play football next year, 40 hours(or however many are deemed suiable) of community service is to be completed by next football season or they cant play.

 

Even though the whole team wasnt involved I find it hard to believe that other team members besides the ones whole stole the items didnt know it was going to happen and they should be heald accountable on some level.

 

Maybe an old school type of punishment is in order, maybe extra gassers at the end of next years practice for the ones involved?

 

I'm sure there were some that did not do anything but knew it was going on, but you know at that age, there is so much peer pressure to not say anything.

I'm not saying that is right, but it is teenagers and at that age, peer pressure is a tough thing. They should have said something, but my guess is that's why they didn't.

I'm also just as sure that there were some that had nothing to do with it and knew nothing until it was too late. I don't know how many, but I'm sure there were a few anyway.

I would just like them to find a way to take a terrible negative and turn it so that it may help some other young man from doing the exact same thing.

They need to punish those kids that did it, that's for sure !

[redtiger 1,742]

Exactly; punishment is not enough, they need to learn not only tht they cant behave that way but why they shouldnt. It could be a good learning experience. I dont know anything about these kids but if those type of actions dont get taken care of now in a few years they are gonna be adults and it will be a much more serious matter