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March 01, 2005
Chaney to sit out A-10 tourney
John Chaney extended his own suspension by banning himself from the Temple sidelines for the Atlantic 10 tournament.
The Hall of Famer continued a week of apologies and punishments Monday when he announced he won't return after the school's three-game suspension ends with the close of the regular season.
``I believe the fair thing is for me not to coach during the Atlantic 10 championship tournament in Cincinnati,'' the 73-year-old Chaney said in a statement.
Chaney first suspended himself for one game and then had the school extend it to three games over his ordering rough play from one of his players in a recent game that resulted in an injury to senior John Bryant of Saint Joseph's.
If the Owls reach the A-10 championship game, there's a chance they could play the Hawks again.
``Now, when we go to our championship, it will be one less distraction,'' Atlantic 10 commissioner Linda Bruno said Monday.
Maybe, but Chaney vs. the Hawks seems far from over. Saint Joseph's officials have refused to comment, only offering a tersely worded statement Saturday that said ``a line was crossed.''
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Phil Martelli, the quick-quipped Hawks coach, has refused to comment and declined to participate in Monday's A-10 coaches' teleconference -- the same one on which Chaney last week threatened to take action if the Hawks continued setting what he thought were illegal screens.
Chaney followed through on his threat, using Nehemiah Ingram to ``send a message.'' Ingram fouled out in four minutes, including the hit on Bryant that left the senior sprawled on the court for several minutes. An MRI later revealed he had a broken arm that ended his season and college career.
Chaney had apologized to Bryant and his family and offered to pay his medical bills. Chaney on Monday apologized again in a statement to Bryant, both schools and the conference.
``Last week, my words and actions were wrong, wrong, wrong,'' he said.
``I never intended -- nor did any of my players intend -- for anyone to be injured, regardless of what may have been said emotionally before, during and after the game,'' Chaney said. ``But the unfortunate fact is that John Bryant was injured. I have taken full responsibility for my words and actions, and have apologized from my heart.''
Bruno said there were no plans to take action against Ingram, who apologized after Saturday's game.
``You just have a young man that was following what a coach told him to do,'' she said. ``(Chaney) didn't tell him to break a young man's arm, but he told him to issue hard fouls. We felt he was in a game situation and doing what he was told to do.''
Chaney is still coaching the Owls at practice, though he won't attend any of their games. Assistant Dan Leibovitz is coaching the team.
The Owls (14-11, 10-6) clinched a tie for second place in the Atlantic 10 East Division. A Temple win or a Fordham loss will earn the Owls a first-round bye in the conference tournament.
A Temple spokesman did not know if Chaney would be allowed to coach in the postseason. The Owls could earn an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament by winning the A-10 title. Even if the Owls lost their last three games, they would finish with a .500 record and be eligible for the NIT.
Bruno said it would be up to Chaney or Temple to decide if the coach should continue in the postseason.
Chaney avoids another distraction in returning to Cincinnati for the conference tournament. Last month, Chaney scolded the people of Ohio, the state that helped President Bush win re-election with 20 electoral votes, saying, ``It's not the people I hate, it's what they did that I hate.''
Posted by admin at March 1, 2005 03:38 PM