When a school fight....should be treated like a school fight.

Video was removed.

See it here

What you just looked at is video from a Alabama State basketball tournament game Tuesday, February 17th 

between 2 high schools, Carver and Valley. A fight broke out towards the end of the game and quickly spread to

the crowd who entered the court and began fighting with the players and with each other. The game was called

on account of this fight and the State board is meeting to determine who will be awarded the winner of the game 

and go to the State championships. Many are calling for both teams to be disqualified and banned from play 

for anywhere from 1 year to permanently. I think this is foolishness. Penalize the players involved, and more 

importantly, penalize people in the crowd who entered the court. Remember the Detroit Indiana NBA fight? What 

exascerbated it? That's right, players and fans fighting each other. If the Detroit fans had stayed in the stands and had not fought the

players (or the players gone in to the stands) the fight would have been defused rather quickly, and play could

have been continued. Same here. While the players did brawl with each other, it was nothing security could not have

handled, the refs hand out technicals, and the short rest of the game continues. As far as I am concerned, all this talk

of stopping basketball in the state and these "thugs only doing what they genetically are supposed to do" and "better

let them fight each other so that their are fewer of them" smacks of ignorance and racism, no less ignorant then the

crowd getting involved with this fight in the first place. Here is what needs to happen: Anyone identified by the

video as leaving the stands to come onto the floor and fight is banned from attending state athletic functions for 2

years. In other words, if you are not a member of either team, and you entered the floor during play, out you go.

Secondly, the team that was ahead when the game was called is the "winner." This comes with a grain of salt

however, because immediately after they are awarded this win, the State should suspend players involved with

the fight for up to 10 games, including the Championship game. That should, if the events of the night went how I

think they went, cripple the team. If they can't put out 4 players to play in the championship game, they forfeit, and

the team that was waiting to play in the finals is the State Champ. While I realize this is unfair to the team waiting,

There is no other way to penalize the two teams fairly without affecting the championship game, and those players

would have been suspended anyhow. I find it interesting how it is being commented on the internet and the press.

In 2002 there was large brawl between mostly white frat boys at Auburn in the crowd during a Tiger Football game

and it was largely ignored, but a fight at a high school basketball game gets statewide attention? Interesting....while

I absolutely do not condone these events and feel that those who were involved with it should be penalized, I don't

think people should be receiving jail time and all this other foolishness people have been saying. This occured at

a school event, suspensions are there fore in order, and attendance bans for non-students. Fair enough. Sad that

it occured in the first place, though.

UPDATE: Both teams have been eliminated (double forfeit) and are now on restrictive probabtion. Charges have been

filed against spectators. LINK