But that’s what St. George’s has done. According to The Boston Globe, the Rhode Island high school called off Friday’s game with Lawrence Academy (Mass.) because of a size disparity between the Independent School League teams.
“This is strictly a safety issue,” St. George’s headmaster Eric Peterson told the Globe. “We are trying to keep our kids reasonably safe in a game that can be terribly exciting but has risks.”
The game may go in the books as a forfeit (that decision will be determined by a committee of three ISL headmasters), but losing by not playing doesn’t concern St. George’s athletic director and football coach John MacKay.
“People don’t understand what schools like St. George’s are all about,” MacKay said. “Our students are into much more than athletics. Athletic success is so secondary in a place like this.”
Pop Warner, Knute Rockne and Vince Lombardi are rolling over in their graves. Bill Belichick just got so mad he threatened to reacquire Randy Moss and trade him again.
What’s the point of having a football team if you don’t want to play every opponent on the schedule?
Just because Lawrence has three 300-pound offensive linemen, five players committed to Division I programs and won all but two games by at least 40 points last season is no reason to give up before even suiting up.
That sends a terrible message to kids.
We don’t think you have any chance to avoid getting crushed so we are going to take out the mystery and put you out of your misery ourselves.
Imagine if the 2001 New England Patriots had taken that attitude against the “Greatest Show on Turf” Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. There never would have been a dynasty in Foxboro.
Upsets happen all the time on the gridiron — and life — but underdogs have to have the courage to take the field against Goliaths.
St. George’s is 2-0. It won’t have a chance to go 3-0 because of administrators.
If Lawrence is the late-1970s Pittsburgh Steelers of New England private high schools, other schools need to devise more creative game plans and show some heart. If schools don’t have the guts to compete, replace football with knitting.
It’s more heroic to lose 84-0 than surrender before kickoff because you’re afraid of what might happen.
Do you think St. George’s made the wrong decision by calling off the game? Share your thoughts below.
