Cornell coach Mike Schafer has been suspended for one game by the ECAC for comments he made to the media after last Friday’s game against Rensselaer. He will sit out this Friday’s game against Vermont.
Schafer took referee Joel Dupree to task in a profanity-laden outburst, upset about what he believed were hits from behind that went uncalled.
“They gotta make a damn decision around here, are they going to protect the damn students or are they just going to let people run roughshod in our league?” Schafer said. “To me, they’re letting people run roughshod and do what the [heck] they want. It’s clear in the rink – everyone in the rink – Shane Hynes got drilled headfirst into the boards. I don’t think anybody ever argues that. Where’s the call? That’s what I want to know.”
Schafer apologized Tuesday for his actions.
“I apologize to the University, the athletic department, our fans and my friends and family for the language I used in my postgame comments following the RPI game,” Schafer said. “Obviously, I let my emotions concerning the welfare of our student-athletes get the better of me. I left the league no choice but to suspend me.”
Said Cornell athletic director Andy Noel, “Mike Schafer’s uncharacteristic behavior toward the officials and his public use of profanity were inappropriate. I’ve addressed the situation with him, and I am assured that it will not re-occur. I am most confident that Coach Schafer will continue to be an outstanding ambassador for the university and for the ECAC as he has been in the past.”
