Stepinac committed a foul but it's time for a review | Dougherty

It’s all fun and games until somebody with a whistle has to make a 50-50 call. Regardless of interpretation, histrionics are sure to follow. It’s not surprising the CHSAA’s fire-and-brimstone response to Stepinac’s decision to participate in a non-sanctioned basketball tournament during Holy Week inspired a string of meme-worthy reactions over the last month.

The proposed sanctions would’ve derailed a Crusaders program that’s currently the league’s flagbearer. There’s no question a number of names were taken in vain. A settlement was reached last week during a meeting that included Stepinac president Father Thomas Collins and principal Paul Carty, CHSAA president Kevin Pigott and Bishop Edmund Whalen from the Archdiocese of New York.

By mutual agreement, it was determined Crusaders head coach Pat Massaroni would serve a suspension and all other proposed sanctions would be dropped. He will miss the first two non-league games and the first five CHSAA games on the schedule next season. “I’m happy that none of the kids within the program, none of the kids within the Stepinac athletic program will be penalized,” Massaroni said Thursday, May 21.

“I’m ultimately disappointed on a personal level with the number of games in my suspension but there essentially was no other way to keep the kids out of it. ” At issue is the Crusaders’ participation in Chipotle Nationals , a prominent event that routinely draws some of the best high school teams in the country. There is no doubt every player on the roster wanted to be a part of the televised showcase outside Indianapolis after sticking together over four years.