The NCAA has formally reprimanded Maine defenseman Peter Metcalf and the University for comments Metcalf made in the postgame press conference following the Black Bears’ loss to Minnesota in the natonal championship game last April.
Maine lost on a power-play goal in overtime, and Metcalf was critical of referee Steve Piotrowski, suggesting he “had it in for” Maine. Metcalf further cited the final game of the 2000-01 season, when Piotrowski ejected late coach Shawn Walsh during the NCAA tournament quarterfinals against Boston College. He suggested the NCAA should not have scheduled Piotrowski for the final game based on that history.
“Bad play by the NCAA,” Metcalf said at the time.
The NCAA has withheld Metcalf’s $80 per diem for the tournament and his transportation costs, according to a report in Wednesday’s Bangor (Maine) Daily News. The story says this will cost Maine between $500 and $1200.
Metcalf’s comments violated an NCAA bylaw that forbids representatives of a member institution from criticizing game officials in a championship event.
According to the Bangor Daily News, Maine athletic director Sue Tyler has not received a bill from the NCAA, but intends to pay it without appeal.
“It happened and we have to live with it. It was an unfortunate thing,” said Tyler to the Daily News. “We don’t condone it. Peter is very intense and was very much into the game and to lose in that fashion disturbed him. We hope our student-athletes control themselves better. Peter wrote a letter of apology to me and to [coach] Tim Whitehead and we apologized to the NCAA.”
