Dear USHR,

In your 2/29/00 news item "Foley Takes a Powder," you have inaccurately

characterized a situation involving the Choate Rosemary Hall boys' ice

hockey program. You wrote:

 

"Interestingly, in the west there was a similar situation. Choate, which

had started strong but struggled in January, announced that if they [sic]

didn't make the Elite 8 they weren't going to go to the post-season

either. It was pointed out to them in no uncertain terms by NEPSIHA that

if they withdrew their application, there would likely be sanctions

against them the following year, most likely including a suspension from

the post-season. Choate relented."

To set the record straight:

 

(1) Neither I nor any of our coaches "announced" that Choate would not

attend the post-season tournament if the school didn't earn a berth in the

Division I tournament. There certainly were conversations about whether we

would attend a IA tournament if invited, but there was never any sort of

"announcement" made that we would not go. In fact I did not make a

decision on this matter until last week--when my office faxed in the

tournament application form--after I had the opportunity to discuss the

issue with Founders League athletic directors, the Choate coaching staff,

and our headmaster.

 

(2) Several weeks ago, I did ask Matt Corkery, Salisbury School athletic

director and president of the coaches association, if it was possible to

indicate that a school was willing to play in the Division I tournament

but not in the IA event. He replied that I could indicate such an

intention on our tournament application form. (I opted to submit the

application without any such indication.) Your claim that Choate was told

"in no uncertain terms" that "there would likely be sanctions against them

the following year" is entirely false. Matt said no such thing. Moreover,

NEPSIHA has no authority to issue such sanctions. The NEPSAC rule

regarding a team's withdrawal from a post-season tournament applies to

schools that opt out of an event once the draw has made. Only in that case

would sanctions be appropriate, according to NEPSAC policy.

 

(3) It is inaccurate to report that "Choate relented" in the face of

threatened sanctions. My decision to declare Choate's intention to play in

either the I or IA tournament was grounded solely in what I considered to

be the best interest of Choate student-athletes. At no point was any

notion of penalties even considered.

Thank you.

Sincerely yours,

Ned Gallagher

Director of Athletics

Choate Rosemary Hall

Wallingford, CT  06492-3800