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The traditional cutting down of the championship nets is on hold, thanks to a melee that broke out following Neumann-Goretti senior Derrick "D.J." Rivera’s game-winning shot.
Instead of praising the efforts of the Neumann-Goretti and Roman Catholic basketball teams in the Catholic League title game, the Office of Catholic Education for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia has spent the last several days investigating an on-court brawl that spilled over from the stands.
Stephen Pawlowski, assistant superintendent in the Office of Catholic Education for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, said Wednesday the investigation into the matter is continuing. He said the Board of Governors, made up of school principals, met earlier this week to discuss sanctions against the players, teams and the schools.
The Board of Directors, made up of school athletic directors, will meet today to discuss the matter further.
"Probably by the end of this week or the beginning of next week we’ll give definitive answers as to what the sanctions will be," Pawlowski said.
The incident occurred following Rivera’s game-winning shot. After rejoicing with his teammates, the senior walked over to the Roman Catholic side of the court and started celebrating in front of the fans, who had been taunting him throughout the game. The fans had taken to calling the player Flavor Flav, the former Public Enemy rapper who is currently on VH1’s "The Flavor of Love." Within seconds, several of the opposing fans starting throwing empty soda cups and water bottles onto the court, with some spectators leaping over the press row table, as they rushed onto the court while both teams, as well as cheerleaders, were present. Police were on the scene, with additional officers called in, to clear the gym, while the teams were sent to their respective locker rooms.
A half-hour after the game ended, there were still six police cars outside and a helicopter circling above the arena.
Wednesday, Neumann-Goretti basketball coach Carl Arrigale was still dealing with the aftermath.
"It’s just a shame because none of the focus has been on the game," he said.
Several Neumann-Goretti players were scheduled to play in Tuesday night’s All-Catholic game, but Arrigale said the Archdiocese asked Rivera not to attend while the investigation continued. As a sign of solidarity, Neumann-Goretti’s players did not participate.
"I thought it would be best if we all stayed home," Arrigale said "[The All-Catholic game] is a fun time for the kids. I felt bad asking them to stay home."
The coach said Rivera wasn’t going to play in the game anyway, as he injured his right, non-shooting shoulder with three to four minutes left in Saturday’s match.
THE NEGATIVE CHEERS from fans of both teams is another issue being examined. Like most sporting events from youth to pro, there was heckling throughout. The Office of Catholic Education holds players and student-spectators to a Code of Conduct the public address announcer summarized to the standing-room only crowd prior to the championship game.
The announcement is, "Our athletic programs are designed to foster good sportsmanship, camaraderie and Catholic values. We ask that all athletes and spectators honor the Code of Conduct by refraining from the use of vulgar language, abusive behavior or inappropriate cheering."
Saturday night that didn’t happen, as fans heckled the other school, the opposing team and the cheerleaders, and it’s something Pawlowski said the Archdiocese doesn’t want to see happen again.
"In a Catholic environment there is no place for it and we find it totally unacceptable," he said.
As a result, he said one of the sanctions being considered is that both schools will play next season without fans present.
The Code of Conduct is also being addressed.
"Our feeling is that we should use this as an opportunity to reexamine our policies and bring it to the attention to [the] Board of Governors and the Board of Directors," Pawlowski said.
One thing that will not be happening is Neumann-Goretti being stripped of its title, a possible sanction discussed earlier this week.
"It wasn’t a viable action because very few players were involved," Pawlowski said. "The game was over when this took place."
He said 90 percent of Saturday’s game was very positive.
"One to two minutes in the end ruined a very highly competitive game that was a character-building game for both teams," Pawlowski said.
