ISA HANDS OUT PUNISHMENT ON RUGBY INCIDENT

PRESS RELEASE – The Interscholastic Sports Association (ISA) of Guam met on Wednesday, November 9, 2022, regarding the alarming behavior displayed at a rugby game held Saturday, November 5, 2022, between Guam High School and Southern High School. ISA expects coaches and players to behave in a respectful manner when competing on and off the field of play. This was not the case. Athletes and coaches will be held accountable for their actions.

Student athletes are held to a high standard and should understand it is a privilege and not a right to play sports. As representatives of their schools, their behavior outside the classroom and on the field is witnessed by our entire community. Some student athletes are also regarded as role models to younger siblings and students. The actions of these individuals and spectators should never have happened. In today’s world of social media, this not only sets a bad example of sportsmanship but also reflects poorly on our league and island. ISA does not and will never condone such unacceptable actions from any of our athletes.

Unfortunately, due to these inexcusable behaviors from its athletes, ISA had to determine a punishment for all involved. The ISA Board of Control (ISA BOC), along with Guam High School, agreed that all individuals involved in this incident will be henceforth removed from their respective teams for the remainder of the season. 

The ISA BOC agreed that we need to take a stance against any form of physical altercations and will not tolerate this kind of behavior at any sporting event. Coaches and players are expected to understand this and act accordingly. In future sporting events, those involved in similar incidents such as the one on November 5^th will be expelled from their respective teams. 

We expect to move forward as a league and have all our athletes, coaches, and spectators display good sportsmanship at all levels of play. Hopefully, coaches and players learn from this unfortunate event so that ISA will never again have to take away opportunities for our student athletes to participate in sports.