Cajunfootballfan
07-02-2009, 06:19 PM
For saying the wrong thing to the media?????? Wow! The SIFL doesn't play lol.
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Conquerors owner Thomas fined by SIFL
By Chris Singleton
Staff Writer
Published: Thursday, July 2, 2009 at 10:21 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, July 2, 2009 at 10:21 a.m.
HOUMA — The Southern Indoor Football League announced in a press release Wednesday that it will fine Houma Conquerors owner Franklin Thomas an undisclosed amount of money and issued an official reprimand for "misleading the media" regarding the Conquerors' game with the Lafayette Bayou Bulls on June 28.
The SIFL released the statement in response to an article that ran in Wednesday's editions of The Courier and Daily Comet in which Thomas said that the league originally did not plan to count the Conquerors' 66-0 victory over the Bayou Bulls — a substitute team that replaced the North Texas Crunch when the Crunch couldn't travel to Houma due to transportation issues — in the SIFL's official standings. He also said that the team had to wait until Tuesday's weekly owners teleconference to learn the SIFL's official ruling on the game.
Also in the article, Thomas said the SIFL finally told him on Tuesday that the win over the Bayou Bulls, an outdoor football team that plays in the Southern American Football League, would count in both the league's standings and playoff seedings, which moved the Conquerors into the fourth and final playoff spot over the Texas Hurricanes.
SIFL officials said in Wednesday's press release that Thomas "was wrong and misled the media" with his comments because the league officially ruled on Sunday that the game would be counted in the league's standings; however, it would not be used in determining playoff seedings, meaning that the Conquerors and the Hurricanes are still tied for final postseason spot.
"The game was always scheduled to count in the standings, as were the statistics and that was explained in the recap posted on www.southernifl.com early Sunday morning," SIFL Director of Communications Dan Ryan said in the press release. "The game will not affect playoff seedings. We have never deviated from this plan.
"I would really appreciate it if team owners would contact the league office before discussing league operations in a public forum ... We don't sweep problems under the rug, rather we deal with them in a professional manner, and I'm extremely displeased that media who are covering our teams and league have been misled."
SIFL president Thom Hager said in a phone interview on Wednesday that Conquerors game against the Bayou Bulls won't impact the playoff seeding because travel teams like the North Texas Crunch are ineligible for postseason play. Hager said Thomas knew this before Tuesday because the league makes sure every team understands its rules regarding games against travel or non-SIFL teams.
"We have talked about the rules regarding travel teams since the beginning of the season," Hager said. "Franklin knew about this all along. We discussed with everyone how a travel team impacts the league's standings. Everybody knew that. If you call any other owner in the league, they all know how it works, so there's no reason that Franklin wouldn't have known it."
In a phone interview on Wednesday about the SIFL's statement, Thomas said the SIFL never mentioned the rule to him and that the entire incident was a misunderstanding.
"It's my fault and a miscommunication on my part," Thomas said. "I accept full responsibility for it. I will pay any fine the league gives me. I didn't know if that game would count or not, and no one told me anything until Tuesday. I knew the win would stay in our record, but I didn't know if it counted towards the playoffs."
Read the rest at
http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20090702/SPORTS20/907029941/1032?Title=Conquerors-owner-Thomas-fined-by-SIFL
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Conquerors owner Thomas fined by SIFL
By Chris Singleton
Staff Writer
Published: Thursday, July 2, 2009 at 10:21 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, July 2, 2009 at 10:21 a.m.
HOUMA — The Southern Indoor Football League announced in a press release Wednesday that it will fine Houma Conquerors owner Franklin Thomas an undisclosed amount of money and issued an official reprimand for "misleading the media" regarding the Conquerors' game with the Lafayette Bayou Bulls on June 28.
The SIFL released the statement in response to an article that ran in Wednesday's editions of The Courier and Daily Comet in which Thomas said that the league originally did not plan to count the Conquerors' 66-0 victory over the Bayou Bulls — a substitute team that replaced the North Texas Crunch when the Crunch couldn't travel to Houma due to transportation issues — in the SIFL's official standings. He also said that the team had to wait until Tuesday's weekly owners teleconference to learn the SIFL's official ruling on the game.
Also in the article, Thomas said the SIFL finally told him on Tuesday that the win over the Bayou Bulls, an outdoor football team that plays in the Southern American Football League, would count in both the league's standings and playoff seedings, which moved the Conquerors into the fourth and final playoff spot over the Texas Hurricanes.
SIFL officials said in Wednesday's press release that Thomas "was wrong and misled the media" with his comments because the league officially ruled on Sunday that the game would be counted in the league's standings; however, it would not be used in determining playoff seedings, meaning that the Conquerors and the Hurricanes are still tied for final postseason spot.
"The game was always scheduled to count in the standings, as were the statistics and that was explained in the recap posted on www.southernifl.com early Sunday morning," SIFL Director of Communications Dan Ryan said in the press release. "The game will not affect playoff seedings. We have never deviated from this plan.
"I would really appreciate it if team owners would contact the league office before discussing league operations in a public forum ... We don't sweep problems under the rug, rather we deal with them in a professional manner, and I'm extremely displeased that media who are covering our teams and league have been misled."
SIFL president Thom Hager said in a phone interview on Wednesday that Conquerors game against the Bayou Bulls won't impact the playoff seeding because travel teams like the North Texas Crunch are ineligible for postseason play. Hager said Thomas knew this before Tuesday because the league makes sure every team understands its rules regarding games against travel or non-SIFL teams.
"We have talked about the rules regarding travel teams since the beginning of the season," Hager said. "Franklin knew about this all along. We discussed with everyone how a travel team impacts the league's standings. Everybody knew that. If you call any other owner in the league, they all know how it works, so there's no reason that Franklin wouldn't have known it."
In a phone interview on Wednesday about the SIFL's statement, Thomas said the SIFL never mentioned the rule to him and that the entire incident was a misunderstanding.
"It's my fault and a miscommunication on my part," Thomas said. "I accept full responsibility for it. I will pay any fine the league gives me. I didn't know if that game would count or not, and no one told me anything until Tuesday. I knew the win would stay in our record, but I didn't know if it counted towards the playoffs."
Read the rest at
http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20090702/SPORTS20/907029941/1032?Title=Conquerors-owner-Thomas-fined-by-SIFL