Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Home National Sports Business Lifestyles Religion Arts & Culture Pulse Spice Editorial letters Opinion Foodie Sportscope Real Talks Weekend Report PDF's Classifieds Contact About Us Archive Weather

Letters | Opinion | Editorial | Weekend Report
Is there really a champion? BY Kelsie Johnson ~ NG Sports Reporter ~ kelsie@nasguard.com: The 2008/2009 Commonwealth American and Football League (CAFL) champions, the Orry J Sands Pros were not kidding when they said that they would show up to the DW Davis Field, ready to contest the Boil Fish Bowl title. The team, led my quarterback Michael Foster and sponsor Bede Sands were all there at 1:30 p.m. But their opponents, the John Bull Jets were a no-show. Or were they really? According to Jets' head coach Obie Roberts his team was following the instructions of the league and the chairman, who announced that the CAFL was suspended, effectively immediately. As a result, no game should have been contested on Saturday. Nor any team showing up for the game. The Guardian confirmed on Thursday that both teams were aware of the decision, but the Pros' assistant coach Shervin Johnson told the daily in an earlier interview that the team will show up to play on Saturday, February 6th. And they did just that. Fully regaled, Foster said that he was disappointed that the Jets' full squad did not show. Foster confirmed that several of the Jets' players were out at the field, in full gear, and watched the officials set the ball for it to be kicked off. "Unfortunately, I feel very sorry for many of the Jets players who came out here today and had to suffer the indignity of watching the ball kicked off without them having an opportunity to challenge for the national championship," said Foster. "We will not go and tell anyone that we are the champions this year because we don't feel as if it was earned on the field. But technically, the Jets defaulted the championship to the Pros." Hearing that the Pros are claiming to have won the national title without it even being challenged, didn't rest to well with Roberts. An irate Roberts blasted Foster and the Pros for even showing up to the field, especially after they, according to Roberts were made aware of the chairman's decision. "That is not even a sanctioned game," said Roberts. "A bogus piece of information that I have ever heard in my life. The media got (a) report from the chairman, which is Carl Campbell, that the league has been suspended. That (the Pros are the champions) is the biggest lie that can ever be reported in this league. "The Pros do not run this league, neither does their sponsor run this league. There was no game. It was clearly given to The Guardian as well as the other media houses that the game has been suspended. This shows you how much of a coward they are, to even attempt to mislead the public in thinking that they won a championship when the game wasn't even sanctioned." Even though Roberts and Foster agree that the league is in a chaotic state and that the mudslinging must stop neither is bending. Roberts called Saturday's actions by the Pros "nonsense, which made them look shallow." He went on to say that the "Pros are cowardly individuals who seek to do anything to win a game." The Jets, who defeated the Pros in both regular season matches this year did offer a challenge to the Pros. Roberts said: "The whole matter was a sham. I have no respect for them. The pros are strangers to the truth and will sell anything to win a championship. We will play in the sponsor's backyard and beat them there. They are cowards." The two wins over the defending champs, the Pros sealed the league's pennant for the Jets. But according to Foster, the Jets made a decision after it was ruled that the game will be played on Saturday, February 6th. This ruling said Foster was handed down by both the league's general council and an appellant committee steered by the Bahamas Olympic Association's Romel Knowles. Foster also revealed that chairman Campbell had no authority in suspending the league. Since noting his mistake, Foster said Campbell resigned. However, Roberts said he nor any other council member were made aware of Campbell's resignation. "Unfortunately, Carl made a statement saying that he was going to suspend the league," said Foster. "There is nothing in the constitution that allows him to do that. You cannot suspend the league because, like he said he cannot get the two teams to agree. "We never, as the Pros asked for anything. We were faced with similar difficulties that the Jets had. We had players who went off to school but we intended to play. As you can see we are here, our football players are. It doesn't matter who went off to school we had a football game to play and we came to play. "But they decided, because of a wedding. And this is possibly the biggest joke in the history of American football in the world, that a football game was not played because they had a wedding. The most unfortunate part of it is, as the time came close we were able to find out the details of this wedding. It is wedding for an individual who is not on the team. It included the standing of an individual, one of the groomsmen. And our understanding is that a total of five persons were invited to the wedding. That is no reason to not play a football game." However, Roberts said in an earlier interview that the request to attend the wedding and have the date change was sent in from early December. " I have no respect for them neither their organization for that nonsense that they are trying to perpetuate to the rest of the country. There was no game," Roberts insisted. The Guardian attempted to call Campbell but this was futile. Monday February 08, 2010