Bulldogs shorthanded against sixth-ranked Michigan

By Ted Diskant

When the Bulldogs open their season at No. 6 Michigan on Sat., Oct. 30, they will be without five senior starters, including captain Jeff Hamilton, SM '00. As a result of violations of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) regulation prohibiting players from participating in any professional or amateur athletic events not affiliated with Yale during the academic year, the Elis must start their season without some of their best players. "It's definitely frustrating to not be able to play," Jeff Brow, SM '00, who will be forced to sit out the season opener, said.

In addition to Brow, the squad will be without Keith Fitzpatrick, TD '00, for the one game, Trevor Hanger, SY '00, and Paul Lawson, BK '00, for two games, and Hamilton for five games. "The punishment seems very harsh," Penelope Laurans, associate Dean of Yale College and the faculty athletic representative, said. right

At issue is the NCAA's rule prohibiting student-athletes from "competing as a member of any outside team in any noncollegiate, amateur competition." While certain exceptions are made for university holidays and Olympic participation, some players and administrators expressed frustration with the NCAA's black-and-white interpretation of the rule. "I was just doing a favor for a friend who needed a goaltender," Hanger explained. "I probably should have checked on the rules, but I really assumed it was harmless."

Similarly, Brow described his violation as playing in a "pick-up game." The University—when informed of the potential violations—investigated with the aid of Head Coach Tim Taylor. Upon discovering the violations, it took the NCAA-mandated step of declaring the players in violation to be ineligible. Under the direction of Laurans, Yale proceeded to appeal the decision to the NCAA's Student-Athlete Reinstatement Committee, which did reinstate all five players, but with the condition that each be suspended for the number of illegal games he had played. While the NCAA refuses to comment on specific cases, Jane Jankowski, a public information coordinator for the NCAA, said, "decisions are based on the question of whether or not a recruiting or competitive advantage was gained." By suspending the players for the number of illegal games they participated in, the logic of the punishment was to diminish any potential advantage the players might have gained.

Laurans, who felt the University presented a "terrific case" in its appeal, seemed frustrated by the decision. "There is no questions that we are in an area that is very gray and unclear," she said. "You would like a rule to be nuanced enough to deal with the variety of circumstances that may come up. I don't think the rule was created to deal with this type of problem." Colleen Lim, an assistant athletic director and Yale's compliance coordinator, suggested that the responsibility rested on the players to know—and abide by—the rules. "This is a black-and-white rule," she commented. "Any outside competition with some formal organization is prohibited. We do our best to tell our athletes to ask in advance if they are unclear about a rule." Taylor added, "Our players should have been aware. I am confident it was an inadvertent mistake, but that is no excuse." Laurans was more understanding. "It is one thing to be told a rule and another to really be aware of what it means," she said.

Nevertheless, the Bulldogs will now have to face Michigan this Saturday without five veteran players. Being without Hamilton will be especially difficult when they face off against conference foes Clarkson, St. Lawrence, and Vermont. But the sense is that the team, and the athletic department, is ready to move forward.

"The fact is that this happened," Thomas Beckett, Yale's director of athletics, said. "We need to take corrective actions and we need to move forward." Taylor echoed those sentiments, adding "This isn't the focal point of everything we do. We're ready to move on."

As the Bulldogs look to the future, they have high expectations for the season, hoping to improve from last year's somewhat disappointing fifth-place finish at the ECAC tournament. "We'd like to make it back to the NCAA tournament," said Brow, who played on the '97-'98 team that won the ECAC tournament. Even without the five suspended seniors, the Bulldogs will travel to Michigan on Saturday with six seniors in addition to a crop of experienced younger players. One of those younger players, Robert Mutter, CC '02, expressed his willingness to help fill the void left by the suspensions. "We're facing a lot of adversity," Mutter said, "But we're looking forward to Michigan and to dealing with the huge crowd." For those returning seniors who will be playing Saturday in front of the screaming multitude, this season represents their last shot to return to the national tournament. "We didn't feel very good about the way last season ended," Cory Shea, BR '00, added. "We want to feed off that."

Graphic by Shawn Cheng.

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