Saturday, September 28, 2013

Super Bowl Legacy At Work: Brawl Halts Arsenal Tech Football Game


The Super Bowl legacy investment at Arsenal Tech has had a real positive impact. Officials had to abruptly end the football game last night with the opposing team, Fort Wayne South, after angry Arsenal Tech players, coaches and some fans fled onto the field to brawl after they didn't like a tackle made by one of the opposing team's players. IMPD was called to the scene but made no arrests. Gee, I wonder why?

UPDATE: Here's a longer version of the video shown by WISH-TV. It looks like one of the coaches from Arsenal Tech fueled the brawl by sucker punching one of Fort Wayne South's coaches.
 

Arsenal Tech's football coach, Emil Ekiyor, spoke to the Star about one of his coach's involvement in last night's brawl who has been suspended:
Ekiyor said the Tech coach involved in the fight is a volunteer coach who has been suspended for the remainder of the season. Ekiyor declined to name him but said the coach is considering filing charges against the Fort Wayne South coach who punched him.
“The fact of the matter is that he did throw a punch,” Ekiyor said of the Tech volunteer. “That’s not excusable at all, which is why we felt like we needed to suspend him the rest of the year. We have to set an example that kids need to understand their actions have consequences.”
Tech was leading Fort Wayne South 24-6 with 1:41 left in the third quarter when the fight occurred and the game was stopped. Administators from Tech have been in contact with the Indiana High School Athletic Association regarding the brawl and Ekiyor said he expects there to be an investigation.
“The thing that really scared me the most was people coming down from the stands and coming on to the field,” Ekiyor said. “That really took the cake. When you see all of that unfolding in front of you, as a coach you never want to see that happen. It was just a nightmare. It makes you sick.”

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am not sure what you are implying by the no arrests comment... But as an IMPD ofc that was there I can tell you that IPS police were already in the stadium moving people out by the time I arrived. Also, I was there to assist IPS police. If they felt the need to arrest someone that is their call. I didn't witness anything but loitering juveniles and compliant adults.

Anonymous said...

Isn't Tech on the ban list for several area football teams to play at night?

I also notice ZERO fans in the stands. I have noticed that IPS football teams usually have very few students at any football game...perhaps that gives an idea of the picture. This matter could be considered the legacy of Eugene White by some...

It will be interesting to see if next season holds any opponents who are not IPS schools after the IPS staff was involved. A follow up story next year would be interesting.

-Also interesting would be the IHSAA review. Will the IHSAA do what has to be done?

Anonymous said...

Anon 8:23: If the IPS Police have to call for help from the other police in the area, doesn't that mean they have an out-of-control riot, that is far-beyond their own capability to handle?

Anonymous said...

First Of All Of Tech Game Has A Lot Of Fans There Like The Carmel Game. Second Of All We Are Not On The Ban List For Any School. We Would Have Played Pike, LN, Carmel, Berburf If We Were & We Will Play Dayton, Catherdal & Chatard In The Upcoming Weeks

Anonymous said...

"doesn't that mean they have an out-of-control riot, that is far-beyond their own capability to handle?"

i don't know that ips police actually called for impd. you would have to check with MECA to determine who actually made the first request for impd. it could easily have been everyone and their brother in the stands calling 911. i know that ips police were dispatched as well. were they already there? coming from different areas of the city? i don't know.

i don't think i would call what happened a riot. there were no burning tires and over-turned cars... a riot implies a complete loss of control in a widespread area for an extended period of time.

was there a melee? sure! on the field and only the field for a brief time.

was it out of control? briefly on the field... clearly.

was it far beyond ips police's ability? not from what i saw.

the radio traffic i heard from an ips police officer was a request for impd to monitor and assist in clearing out the parking lot. it was actually very anti-climactic. and it sounded like he wasn't sure if impd had been called or not.

still an embarrassment for tech, certainly. but let's not exaggerate...

and from what i saw ips school police did an excellent job!

Anonymous said...

Anon 6:15: The attendance at home Carmel football games fills the stands. The attendance at Tech home football games is hardly noticed.

Anon 7:46: According to public record Frank Straub had the Metropolitan Emergency Communication Agency (MECA) dissolved, so he could take over. There has not been a "MECA" since pre-Straub!

Was there a riot? -I'd say if the local police are calling for help, then, yes. If locals have to call from help outside their own agency, then I'd say it is above their local capability to handle...or they would not call for help. (Logic goes a long way)

Anonymous said...

So your saying that Tech is a bad team because the stadium is not filled with fans. Sorry that is not fact.