UMass Football Coach Suspension An Outrage

Printed from: https://newbostonpost.com/2018/10/02/umass-football-coach-suspension-an-outrage/

The outrageous suspension of University of Massachusetts at Amherst football coach Mark Whipple for using the term “rape” to describe a football play this past weekend is an example of how colleges are falling apart.

Rape is an overused word when it doesn’t describe sexual violence. But it actually does have other meanings, including “an act of plunder, violent seizure, or abuse.”

So when Whipple complained about a play this past Saturday where he believed an Ohio University defensive back committed pass interference, his comment wasn’t linguistically incorrect.

Here’s what he said, according to the Daily Collegian, the student newspaper at UMass:

“We had a chance there with 16 down and they rape us, and he picks up the flag. So our guys fought. They have a good team and they were home, and I thought our guys were certainly ready to play because we went up 14-nothing. We just have to get ready for next week. We didn’t make enough plays to beat a team like that.”

Translation:  An official threw a flag for a penalty late in the game against Ohio for pass interference (or something comparable) after a defensive back illegally hit a UMass receiver before a pass arrived, but the official later changed his mind and picked up the flag.

In Whipple’s mind, the play ended his team’s chances in a high-scoring, hard-fought game that ended with UMass losing 58-42.

But even if Whipple had used “rape” incorrectly in a dictionary sense, the suspension makes no sense.

Whipple wasn’t trying to trivialize sexual violence. He was complaining about a referee’s call. That’s something most coaches do.

And what did it cost Whipple? One week suspension without pay. He’s losing money, and he can’t lead UMass in practices this week or in the game Saturday, October 6 against South Florida.

College administrators often react these days to the left-wing protest marches they envision in their heads. It’s making their schools look not only oppressive but dumb.