Player’s Parents Scream, “Foul!”	«« back
	by STANLEY THOMAS (Staff Writer)	November 2010

Scandal in the world of college athletics has become commonplace in our society. Most often, within the make-up and infrastructure of a championship team there are lots and lots of controversial building blocks. Generally, those issues are kept in-house and are dealt with privately – away from the scrutiny of the media; however, that is not always the case. The College of Southern Nevada has hired an independent investigator to look into allegations made against their baseball coaching staff.

On Tuesday, November 2, 2010 CSN administrators officially launched an investigation into alleged misconduct by newly hired athletic director and baseball coach Chris Sheff. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal article dated October 30, 2010 complaints were made by, “Several parents of current and former players,” accusing coach Sheff of inappropriately charging players for a, “Mandatory conditioning program.”

Additional charges levied against the first-year CSN coach and his staff includes verbal abuse of players and bringing drugs into the team’s clubhouse.

School administrators are aware of the allegations and are investigating, wrote K.C. Brekken, CSN communications manager, in an e-mail sent to the Review-Journal on Friday.

The Review-Journal reported, “Players were charged one-hundred and twenty-five dollars per month to participate in workouts beginning in early September with personal trainer Corky Field…” according to multiple unnamed sources, “Workouts were held on a tennis court in Tuscany Village rather than at a gym.” Anonymous sources also claimed that players were charged twenty five dollars a week for food served after practices. These alleged fees are direct violations of National Junior College Athletic Association rules and must be handled with austerity.

In his defense, coach Sheff stated, “Players were encouraged to enroll in Field’s program, but it was not mandatory.” Furthermore he continued, school workout “Facilities are not equipped to handle thirty guys.” Unfortunately for the coach – however credible his comments regarding workout facilities may have been – CSN President Michael Richards was not so convinced and fired coach Sheff on Wednesday, November 03, 2010. President Richards was quoted by the Review- Journal “I intend to ensure that the team has been and remains in compliance with all National Junior College Athletic Association rules and regulations, and this review will take place over the coming weeks.”

Sooner or later everyone will have formed an opinion regarding CSN’s baseball program. As this investigation unfolds, facts will become known and rumors will be dispelled. If need be, further disciplinary actions will be dished out like turkey sandwiches a day after Thanksgiving. Eventually, a couple of months from now possibly, this matter will blow over. As a result, this ball club, this captivating, locally invisible program will emerge more popular when the dust settles, and more energetically vibrant than ever before. And after winning more than a few games, as they are so accustomed of doing, it will all be forgotten, except their newly found popularity.

This baseball program is one of the best attributes of this economically bereaved institution. For too long, it has gone unnoticed and under appreciated; it has been a victim of some lackluster public relation efforts and the lack thereof. At least now, during and after this brief moment of publicized dishonor, the CSN populous might acknowledge they have a baseball team with a strong winning tradition who deserves their daily support and is well worth above and beyond the stingy price of admission.

Scandals in the field of athletics come and go. And obloquies of a successful team always fade away like paychecks of a determined gambler.

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