LOU HS: EDITORIAL: C.E. Byrd Coach Fails to Honor the Game
March 31st, 2010
By Nathan Max
WSL Executive Editor
I’m sure Karl Mitchell probably started coaching high school lacrosse for altruistic reasons.
I mean, surely it wasn’t for the money. At one time, he must have had the best interests of his kids at heart. Unfortunately, this man has clearly lost his way and should probably take a break from coaching until he realizes high school lacrosse is about his players and not about him.
Who in their right mind refuses to let his team play a game because they have a problem with one of the referees? It would be one thing if Mitchell coached in his hometown of Baltimore, or a place where there were dozens or even hundreds of teams and officials. Then, a request to not have a particular official might not be so outrageous.
But he doesn’t.
C.E. Byrd is located in Shreveport, Louisiana, where according to Caddo Magnet head coach Michael Brand, there are just five lacrosse officials. When there are five referees in the entire town, chances are you are going to see all of them at some point. I don’t care how bad they are at officiating. You better make the best of it, because that’s all there is.
When a coach decides that his team will cancel and forfeit a game because he doesn’t like one of the referees assigned to it, he has stopped making the game about his players. He is making it about himself. To quote a phrase that so many in the lacrosse community like to use, with this outlandish move, Mitchell is not honoring the game.
That’s a way of putting it mildly. To put it bluntly, Mitchell’s behavior is disgraceful.
Karl, it’s time to step down.
UPDATE: As of Wednesday afternoon at 2:20 p.m., CDT, Mitchell has not responded to inquiries from WSL for C.E. Byrd's side of the story. Assistant coach Michael Pabst did return a message from a WSL reporter to ask for the Editor's e-mail address. If and when we get a response, we will post it.
UPDATE: WSL has just received an e-mail response from C.E. Byrd assistant coach Michael Pabst. Mitchell still has not responded. Here is the e-mail, printed unedited and in its entirety.
Nate,
Let me begin with the facts in this matter. First of all you were way off base and out of line with your editorial about Coach Karl Mitchell. I have coached with Karl for the better half of this past decade, and I can assure you that I know of no one that has given back to the sport and honors the game more than Karl Mitchell. If it were not for Karl, the sport of lacrosse would not have grown in the State of Louisiana to the point that we have our own league; in fact it may not have even begun. It was Karl Mitchell that started the first organized team in North Louisiana more than fifteen years ago. Below, I have included copies of e-mails that show that the games last night were canceled more than two weeks ago, and as late as Monday, we were still trying to make these games happen. You are wrong to indicate that Byrd forfeited the game when in fact they had been canceled. I believe that you should immediately retract your editorial and apologize to Karl Mitchell. GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT!
Michael Pabst
Byrd Lacrosse Assistant Coach
UPDATE: WSL has put in a call to the league, which says it is investigating the matter and will release an official statement on Thursday afternoon.
UPDATE: On Thursday afternoon, WSL placed four phone calls and left three messages for Louisiana High School Lacrosse League commissioner Mac Bulloch in an attempt to get official clarification as to the status of Tuesday's scheduled Caddo Magnet-C.E. Byrd game. Bulloch told WSL on Wednesday night that he would have an official statement on Thursday, however, he has not returned our messages. He did answer the phone for a split second on one of the attempts but immediately hung up.
UPDATE (4/8): The teams have come together and agreed to make-up the original game, wiping the forfeit off the board. Tonight's game will now be the non-district game, and a district game has been scheduled for April 19, according to Michael Brand. Congratulations for all those involved for acting like adults and putting the kids' interests ahead of your own, which is what we have been advocating from the beginning.

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Definitly True
i dont understand how everyone is missing the point of all of this. for the people defending this coach, what goes through yalls mind. i played high school lacrosse and not once did our coach ever cancel a game or even think of cancelling a game cause of a referee that we did not agree with. of course every team thinks a ref is out for them, if every team reacted the way Bryd's coach did there would be no games, teams, or league. Refs do make bad calls and some times it doesnt go your way but at no point does that give a coach the right to take the game away from the kids. if my coach had done that i would have quit the team cause no matter if the team your playing is better than you or the circumstances your playing with are against you. you play!!
You apparently didn't read
You apparently didn't read most of the posts nor did you understand the content of the "Editorial." That's okay, though. Reading is overrated anyway.
I'm sorry Nate, but you seem
I'm sorry Nate, but you seem to miss the own point of your article. If indeed the game was cancelled by the league, and not forfeited by Karl, then your editorial would be completely without merit. I know for a fact that Karl does not like the way the referee in question officiates Byrd games, and as someone who has PLAYED a game officiated by that individual, I understand why. But that wouldn't, and hasnt, stopped him from playing a game under this referee in the 7 years this behavior has been going on.
Karl Mitchell would never back down from a fight, whether he thought the playing field was even or not. It is not in his character to say "Well boys, John Doe isnt going to give us a fair shot, so we just wont play." To suggest that he has some kind of influence over the commisioner, and forced him to cancel the game, is just some sort of conspiracy theory.
And as far as your accusation of cowardice, why would he EVER want to respond to your emails, when you post this sort of nonsense? "The news organization of record for high school lacrosse in Louisiana", I believe you called yourself? No, you are just a guy with blog and a chip on his shoulder.
Article
Mr. Max, I understand your defense of the article and your statement that it is not about Karl as a person, but about this one incident. However, your editorial does very little to support this. You clearly state in your first actual paragraph that Karl Mitchell has "clearly lost his way." Everything about this statement is about a person themselves, not any particular incident. You simply use this incident to make your point. Further, this event, as reported on this site, appears to be based solely on information provided by the Magnet coach. You did make an attempt to contact others for clarification, but you have yet to receive anything that actually sheds light on the situation. WSL should have waited to report the story until it could be verified. Until it is, this is nothing more than a recount of one man's perception of what happened. Don't make yourself out to be a professional if you can't write your editorials in a professional manner.
Karl
I played for Karl from 2001- 2004, and now also coach High School lacrosse. All I'm going to say on the matter is I still look up to Karl as one of the most influential people of my life, and have nothing but the utmost respect for the man.
Leave the Commissioner Alone
Maybe what you forgot to realize when you called the commissioner is that he was on vacation with his family. A vacation which he rightfully deserved. I think this whole editorial is ridiculous and you should leave the man who has worked tirelessly for two years to foster lacrosse in Louisiana alone. Don't phrase your updates like he is avoiding the issue the fact is that he is avoiding you
Slander
This article is complete slander. If anyone has dishonored the game its a certain referee that no one has mentioned.
Learn English
This last post is an indictment on the American education system, and it saddens me. Please pick up a dictionary or watch the first Spider-Man movie so you can learn the definition of the word slander.
PS: Once again, yet another defender who blames the referee and doesn't dispute the main point of the editorial.
Clarification
The whole issue about whether or not the game is actually a forfeit or was just simply canceled is a red herring and has little to do with the opinion and main point of the piece. Magnet says it's a forfeit; Byrd (eventually) claims it's not. The league commissioner won't respond to our inquiries for clarification in the matter after saying he would have an official statement.
If and when the league gets back to us and says that this game is not a forfeit, we will correct that part of the story and apologize for the error (if it is, in fact, an error). However, that doesn't change our opinion that a coach who cancels a game because of an assigned referee needs to step aside, no matter how much perceived injustice said referee has perpetrated on him.
If a coach of a team denies his players the ability to play because he doesn't like a referee assigned to the game, he is not honoring the game. How can he be honoring the game when he flat-out refused to allow his kids to play it in the first place? Forfeit or no forfeit, Karl Mitchell is not honoring the game.
re: clarification
I personally am not defending the game cancellation because I do not have all the details to the story. What I am defending is the person in which your editorial slams. There are times when "media" dives into statements in which they only have one side of the story. Your editorial should have been written after a league statement (if one is made in a timely fashion). Thus, if the league ruled against Byrd, there would be no need for a retraction. However, damage has already been done to this coach's character. A retraction, should the league rule in favor of Byrd, will almost become a small side note. I only hope that in future editorials you consider this.
Response
You make some fair points except you fail to take into account the following things. A) A WSL reporter called Karl Mitchell to get his side of the story on Tuesday night. He has still not responded. So he only has himself to blame if you or he perceives our reporting to be one sided. It is impossible to get the other side of the story, when the other side refuses to present his side of the story. B) It is Friday afternoon and the league still has no official statement. That is not timely, especially when you consider the commissioner told WSL that he/the league would have an official statement yesterday, told us to call him, and then failed to answer his phone/return messages (with the exception of the time he accidentally clicked answer instead ignore on his phone and then immediately hung up).
Finally, if the game is ruled to not be a forfeit, WSL will report on that. But we stand by the opinion in this editorial, that being that a coach who refuses to play a game because he doesn't like the referee assigned to it is not honoring the game. Whether or not it's a forfeit, that opinion will still be our stance. We have the right to express our opinion, just as you and everyone else who would like to defend Coach Mitchell, including Coach Mitchell himself, has the right to write in to do so. You notice we haven't deleted anybody's responses. This is an open forum, and we will continue to allow a freedom of expression as long as it is done in an appropriate manner.
You've made an assumption
You've made an assumption that Coach Mitchell personally doesn't like one referee. Perhaps ALL the players and ALL the parents and ALL the coaches don't want to put the team on a field being controlled by one referee with an axe to grind. If you don't stand for something, you fall for anything...just as you seem to have fallen for rumors and assumptions. Until you've witnessed the blatant misbehavior of this referee, you really don't have a clear idea of what's going on. The game, at its core, should be played fairly and the resulting win or loss determined by the skills of the players--not how often one ref can intervene to influence the outcome. This is NOT your everyday "bad call" situation. These are bad calls with an agenda.
It is evidence of Coach Mitchell's integrity that he does not air his concerns in YOUR forum (which is in no way an official forum) and restricts himself to discussions with the other coaches, the game assignor, and the league officials. As our coach he is required to teach our boys well, and treat them with respect, which he is doing. But there is no requirement for him to respond on your forum to your editorial.
You're wrong
Well, if "WSL is the news
Well, if "WSL is the news organization of record for high school lacrosse in Louisiana" (and that's a very big IF), could you at least get the scores right? Byrd beat Magnet 12-1, on a beautiful spring night.
My sons have played high
My sons have played high school lacrosse under Karl Mitchell since 2001. I will be the first one to say that Karl has his moments that might give a parent pause, but he has never, and would never, dishonor the game.
The fact is NOT that Mitchell has a problem with one referee--it is that referee who has a problem with Byrd lacrosse, and has repeatedly made it evident in the way he discharges his duties... to the point that the spectators (from visiting, non-Shreveport teams) in the stands were heard to comment many times "What's that guy's problem with Byrd?" Those of us who have been around for a few years know what his problem is, and it's sad that he can't let it go and let the boys play ball. The boys he's hurting now were in grade school when his feelings got hurt. Really...Let it go.
The boys were told this game had been cancelled, not that Byrd had chosen to forfeit. Coach Mitchell is an honorable man, and does not tell the team untruths. For Nathan Max, or Michael Brand to twist the truth is uncalled for. Max may just be doing it to exercise his editorial muscles, but I would have thought that a call to the league would have been appropriate BEFORE the fact, not after. One can only guess at Brand's motives.
Coach Mitchell
I'd like to express my sincere gratitude for all Coach Mitchell has done for lacrosse in Shreveport and in Louisiana. Coach Mitchell does not deserve to be discredited and slandered in the way that the editor of Westside has done. The editor has every right to have his opinion on his own website, but to indicate that Coach Mitchell has disgraced the game and has failed to honor the game is a travesty. Coach Mitchell continually gives back to the game and has done so honorably for over a decade here in Shreveport. I would hope that the editor would consider retracting his article.
Forfeit
I'll tell you my motives. My kids lost out on a game on a beautiful spring night against an in town rival. I did not cancel this game therefore it is a forfeit through and through. In my many years of coaching there have been a small number of officials that I wasn't fond of their work. In no instance could I ever just cancel the game, I had to play. Life isn't fair, you don't always get what you want. Now let it be known that if next Thursday there is thunder and lightning and our game is cancelled, the forfeit will count as our in district game.
ALL the boys lost out on
ALL the boys lost out on playing a game on a beautiful spring night, not just the Magnet team.
Life isn't fair--that's true. But it would be very unfair to both teams to let them play a game that, at least in the mind of ONE of the refs, has the outcome pre-determined. If a coach truly honors the game, and wants the boys to play a good game and either win or lose legitimately, based on their skill--then that coach would want to ensure that NO team has an unfair advantage, or even the appearance of an advantage.
Playing on a beautiful spring night is a perk, but not the purpose of high school athletics. It's not just about getting a win either--although sometimes that seems to be the goal. The goal is to teach our kids ethics and character through athletics...to teach them what honor is about, not what the score sheet is about.
Stand up for what is RIGHT for all, for the whole league..not just your little piece of it. That's true integrity.
Re: Forfeit
You are correct both teams lost out on a game, which means Coach Mitchell not only took away a game from me and my kids but also his own kids. I've seen a lot of lacrosse games in my day and the ones that the official in question has done have never looked biased. That is my opinion just as the accusations from the Byrd club are just that...opinions. So an opinion...no facts...cancelled a game for 40 some odd teenage high schoolers who will never get that game back. If we're teaching ethics and integrity then the game should have been played. Integrity doesn't teach quitting because you don't like the conditions.
I understand and respect your position
I understand and respect your position, but still have to disagree. There are limits to anything and everything. I certainly agree that true character means that you play on even in adversity, BUT... it also means that you take a stand when behavior crosses the line. It's what builds greatness--to take a position and defend it, instead of being a sheep and just plugging along.
Absolutely, when you are in the heat of the moment, already playing the game, and you are on the receiving end of many bad calls, you suck it up and play harder. But what does it say about intestinal fortitude if you don't address that, after the fact and before you let it happen again? You can't let the schoolyard bully run recess, just because he wears a striped shirt! That is why the Byrd lacrosse organization (coaches, players, and boosters) brought this to the attention of the league officials, through proper channels, for proper investigation (for lack of a better word).
I know you've watched many games here, more than I have, I'm sure. But you haven't watched all the games. I'm convinced that anyone looking at the record books will see a distinct and obvious pattern that ONLY emerges when that particular ref calls a Byrd game.