By Fernelle C. Rodriguez, Senior News Reporter
*We work hard at the athletic department of SUU to develop responsible adults, SUU Athletic Director Lee Caseman says
*The names of the athletes were not released pending the investigation conducted by the university and the police
Sunny Upstate University sports officials stand firm on their decision to dismiss eight student-athletes of the men’s baseball team for allegedly violating the school’s Code of Conduct during the annual mid-semester sports competition held in Tampa, Fla.
“Rules are rules, ” said SUU Athletic Director Lee Caseman on Tuesday’s press conference held at Seymour Union of the school. Though the case is still under investigation, Caseman said they need to determine the facts and avoid false accusations or make decisions based only on rumors.
Caseman, who was along with baseball head coach Marty Rowlander and Franklin Shorting, dean of the College of Sports and Recreation, said the eight players went out to dinner as a team after their first win against Stetson University.
“The players were expected to return to their rooms early,” she said. “The team had a doubleheader the next morning. Coach Rowlander went looking for the boys after finding they were missing from their hotel rooms after their already established curfew.”
Rowlander said it was assistant coach Bryan Bessey who informed him that the athletes were not in their rooms during the bed check. He then went out looking for them. He said he found them at a local bar with eight half-empty mugs of beer in front them. As a consequence of their actions, the athletes were dismissed and were sent home the following morning.
The names of the athletes were not released pending the investigation conducted by the university and the police. However, the players sent home include one freshman, one sophomore, three juniors and three seniors. It wasn’t clear if one of them is under 21 years old.
CODE OF CONDUCT
The Code of Conduct indicates that “while traveling with an SUU team, players and coaches are prohibited from drinking alcoholic beverages in public or in their hotel rooms.” In a press release from SUU indicates that the Code has been in existent for 40 years “in response to several incidents involving students not cutting their overly long hair, suspected use of marijuana and defacing walls of the athletic facility with ‘peace signs.’”
“We support Rowlander’s decision,” Caseman said. “However, we will continue the investigation. The code of conduct outlines the set of rules and regulations that must be followed. Not only do they (students) sign the rules, they have been discussed with each team.”
Caseman, who has been the athletic director for two years, said, “It’s not a spring break, but a spring trip. These are games that count in a regular season.”
Meanwhile, Rowlander said it may be a struggle for the team to have lost eight athletes , but he said he is not the one “to bend out rules for the sake of the loses.”
On the other hand, when asked by reporters if he counted the number of mugs he saw on the counter or even checked if the mugs really contained alcoholic drinks, Rowlander said he wasn’t able to do so. “If you see people sitting at a bar with half-empty beer mugs in front of them, obviously assumptions have to be made,” he said. “At that time, no one tried to deny that it did not happen.”
He said penalty would be different if the students only violated the curfew rule. “If somebody went out to buy soda past their curfew, they have to let us know why are they leaving for. If they have not done that it doesn’t really matter what the reason is, there would be suspension involve,” he said.
The coach alluded a scenario of finding a picture of a person on face book with a beer in hand. “The common excuse of people that they were at a party but were not drinking, that it was water you saw,” he said.
“We work hard at the athletic department of SUU to develop responsible adults,” Caseman said. “Student athletes must follow the guidelines provided in our Code of Conduct of behavior on and off the field in order to be eligible to participate on the team.”
The officials said the dismissed students are allowed to try out again next year.
BERATED PARENT
An angry parent spoke up at the conference concerning the dismissal of her son (see related story). Denise Bloomstead said her son, Adam, who was a star pitcher for the team, went out to find his roommate who went out past the curfew hour.
Pointing at Rowlander, Mrs. Bloomstead said, “he has falsely accused my son of a crime with no proof.” Mrs. Bloomstead was led out of the room by the members of Greenlight PR, the organizer of the conference.
HEAD COACH
After graduating from Lafayette College in Easton, Pa in 1993 with a degree in anthropology and sociology, Rowlander joined the SUU’s College of Sports and Recreation the same year as a graduate assistant in the Athletic Dept. He held numerous positions at the dept., while earning his master’s degree in athletic administration.
In 2004, Rowlander helped the SUU baseball team advance to the College Nationals where the team finished first in the national after winning 34 games. In 1999, Rowlander was inducted to General McLane’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
ATHLETIC DEPT.
There are a total of 32 teams in SUU’s Athletic Dept. composed of 18 men’s and 18 women’s competing in baseball, basketball, football, swimming, vollyeball, soccer, lacrosse, hockey and wrestling.
From left, Franklin Shorting, dean of the College of Sports and Recreation, SUU Athletic Director Lee Caseman, and baseball head coach Marty Rowlander.
The New York Daily Chronicles 