FHSAA levies suspensions, fines, probation in TBT-Freedom melee
Five Freedom players, five Tampa Bay Tech players and a TBT assistant have been suspended six weeks by the Florida High School Athletic Association for “gross unsporting conduct” during the melee at Friday’s game. Two other Freedom players will serve a one-game suspension for general unsporting conduct (one unrelated to the fight). The penalties, announced by the FHSAA Wednesday, also included fines TBT ($3,250) and Freedom (1,700), as well as administrative probation for both football programs through the 2008-09 school year. Each school’s administrators decided to also give each player ejected a 10-day out-of-school suspension “It’s been pretty bad the last couple days,” said TBT senior linebacker Delon Thomas, who added he wasn’t one of the unidentified suspended players. “But we’re looking to move forward.” The scrap was sparked late in the first quarter of TBT's 19-0 win Friday, when Patriots defender tackled Titans running back Darius Anderson and then hit him late out of bounds by the TBT bench. Five Freedom players, three TBT players and a TBT assistant were initially ejected Friday, but after the FHSAA, school administrators and county athletic director Lanness Robinson viewed the game film, the number - and names - of ejected players were adjusted.
The FHSAA report stated that ejected TBT assistant coach Rico Choi kicked an unidentified Freedom player and pushed Blackwell; for his actions, TBT was fined $1,500.
TBT plays Spoto Friday. Freedom plays Alonso.
For more, read Thursday's Times.
-- JOE SMITH
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