Post by Gene on Jun 23, 2012 10:04:51 GMT -5
League suspends Storm coach Kurtiss Riggs for two games
Hours before the Sioux Falls Storm begin their Indoor Football League title defense in the first round of the playoffs, the league’s executive committee suspended coach Kurtiss Riggs two games and fined the team $2,500 for overcompensating a player.
That punishment starts tonight, when the Storm host the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks in a first-round game at the Arena.
The charges stemmed from Korey Askew, a defensive back who spent the first two weeks of this season with Sioux Falls but never played a down or received payment. Askew was later signed by the Colorado Ice, who had Askew sign an affidavit acknowledging he was provided transportation to team charity events.
The Storm said the charge is invalid because the vehicle – a 1985 Dodge van – doesn’t belong to the team. It was provided by a third party who organizes the events.
According to Storm attorney Scott Abdallah, it was acknowledged at a Friday afternoon teleconference that the van is owned and insured by a third party. The committee voted to suspend Riggs anyway. The actual suspension is for three games and $5,000, but one game and half the money are suspended if the Storm avoid further violations.
Three games for the head coach and a $5,000 fine are the standard IFL punishment for overcompensation, but the committee did have the option of lesser charges or no charges at all.
The executive committee consists of the owners representing Chicago, Bloomington, Wichita, Reading, Wyoming and Nebraska. Bloomington and Wichita both qualified for the playoffs that began Friday, and Abdallah said the vote was 4-2 to suspend Riggs.
“I guess the only way to compete with success is to pull them down to your level,” said Storm owner Todd Tryon. “It’s stunning that (other IFL teams) would go to these lengths instead of taking the proper steps to improve their programs. It’s apparent they’ll do whatever it takes to bring us down.”
Riggs would be eligible to return to coach the team in the IFL championship game July 14 if the Storm win the two games needed to get there.
In the meantime, defensive coordinator Josh Siegfried will serve as acting head coach. He’ll handle the defense as he has been, while offensive assistants Paul Keizer and Alvin Ashley will likely work with quarterback Chris Dixon in calling the offensive plays.
“I’m sure the guys will be very upset and motivated,” Riggs said. “(The IFL) can’t take away what they can do on the field.”
Abdallah said Riggs’ name was never mentioned during the teleconference. No one has accused him of having any knowledge of the van. Yet he’ll miss the first two rounds of the playoffs.
“It’s embarrassing for me and my family and it makes a mockery of our league,” said Riggs, noting that no one objected to the lucrative contract the Allen Wranglers gave to Terrell Owens, which included a vehicle and shares of team revenues. “I’m shocked, but I know that I shouldn’t be. The credibility of this league has always been in question.
“Usually you could leave that behind when you stepped on the field; that was supposed to be your sanctuary. But now they’ve taken that away. I’m suspended for two games because a person loaned some players a van to go to a charity event. That’s beyond absurd.”
Attempts to reach the IFL office were unsuccessful. A message left with IFL director of football operations Mike Allshouse was not returned.
The Storm had to forfeit several victories in 2009 due to a violation of the league’s insurance policies (while under a different owner), and while they acknowledge they were guilty then, they still felt the IFL unfairly penalized them for that violation out of a desire to interrupt their dominance.
When asked if he felt there are IFL owners deliberately trying to force the Storm’s departure from the league, Tryon said: “Absolutely there are. There’s definitely a few vocal owners that want to get rid of us. But there are some great owners that don’t.”
Tryon downplayed a suggestion that the Storm might look to leave the IFL for another league, but did say: “I just am starting to question whether the 60 hours a week and the financial commitment is worth the constant drama and always being on the defensive. This is the best league for us (geographically), so there’s not many places to turn unless I just want to make a personal decision to get out of this industry.”
Tryon was adamant that Askew is not a villain. He was released by the Ice shortly after providing the information, and Abdallah said that Askew made it clear during the hearing that he feels the Ice were merely using him to dig up dirt on the Storm.
“He testified that he was used by the Colorado Ice and that their sole purpose in bringing him in was to bring dirt out on the Storm,” said Abdallah, who recorded the teleconference.
“The committee’s decision isn’t supported by the evidence, and the timing is very disturbing, coming the day before the playoffs begin. This appears to be a continuing pattern of certain teams trying to gain an advantage over a team off the field that they can’t beat on it.”
Storm remain heavy favorite
Fighting the urge to assume an easy victory is the Storm’s charge this week, even with Riggs unable to serve as coach.
Fortunately for the defending champs, they have a proven track record of preparing seriously for all of their opponents, and nobody is worried about a letdown against the 6-8 Steelhawks.
“We know how to take care of our business,” said defensive lineman Sean Kelly, in his first year with the team. “This team has been here before. These guys are professionals."
Lehigh Valley won just twice on the road this season, and the Storm (14-0) have won 22 straight at home.
The Steelhawks surrendered the fifth-fewest points in the IFL this season (43.9 per game) and the fourth-fewest yards (236.1). They also rank among the league leaders with 23 interceptions.
But even the toughest defenses in the league are unlikely to slow down the Sioux Falls offense, which averages a league-high 67.2 points and 317.6 yards per game.
That means it’ll be up to Lehigh Valley’s offense to keep up, and the Steelhawks ranked near the bottom of the league in points (43.2) and total offense (228.8). And that offense will be working against a Storm defense that is hitting its stride, allowing a league-low 40.2 points per game and ranking second in total defense (211.3).
Source: www.argusleader.com/article/20120....es ?odyssey=nav|head
Read more: www.steelhawksfans.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=ifltalk&thread=105#ixzz1yd47rWai
Hours before the Sioux Falls Storm begin their Indoor Football League title defense in the first round of the playoffs, the league’s executive committee suspended coach Kurtiss Riggs two games and fined the team $2,500 for overcompensating a player.
That punishment starts tonight, when the Storm host the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks in a first-round game at the Arena.
The charges stemmed from Korey Askew, a defensive back who spent the first two weeks of this season with Sioux Falls but never played a down or received payment. Askew was later signed by the Colorado Ice, who had Askew sign an affidavit acknowledging he was provided transportation to team charity events.
The Storm said the charge is invalid because the vehicle – a 1985 Dodge van – doesn’t belong to the team. It was provided by a third party who organizes the events.
According to Storm attorney Scott Abdallah, it was acknowledged at a Friday afternoon teleconference that the van is owned and insured by a third party. The committee voted to suspend Riggs anyway. The actual suspension is for three games and $5,000, but one game and half the money are suspended if the Storm avoid further violations.
Three games for the head coach and a $5,000 fine are the standard IFL punishment for overcompensation, but the committee did have the option of lesser charges or no charges at all.
The executive committee consists of the owners representing Chicago, Bloomington, Wichita, Reading, Wyoming and Nebraska. Bloomington and Wichita both qualified for the playoffs that began Friday, and Abdallah said the vote was 4-2 to suspend Riggs.
“I guess the only way to compete with success is to pull them down to your level,” said Storm owner Todd Tryon. “It’s stunning that (other IFL teams) would go to these lengths instead of taking the proper steps to improve their programs. It’s apparent they’ll do whatever it takes to bring us down.”
Riggs would be eligible to return to coach the team in the IFL championship game July 14 if the Storm win the two games needed to get there.
In the meantime, defensive coordinator Josh Siegfried will serve as acting head coach. He’ll handle the defense as he has been, while offensive assistants Paul Keizer and Alvin Ashley will likely work with quarterback Chris Dixon in calling the offensive plays.
“I’m sure the guys will be very upset and motivated,” Riggs said. “(The IFL) can’t take away what they can do on the field.”
Abdallah said Riggs’ name was never mentioned during the teleconference. No one has accused him of having any knowledge of the van. Yet he’ll miss the first two rounds of the playoffs.
“It’s embarrassing for me and my family and it makes a mockery of our league,” said Riggs, noting that no one objected to the lucrative contract the Allen Wranglers gave to Terrell Owens, which included a vehicle and shares of team revenues. “I’m shocked, but I know that I shouldn’t be. The credibility of this league has always been in question.
“Usually you could leave that behind when you stepped on the field; that was supposed to be your sanctuary. But now they’ve taken that away. I’m suspended for two games because a person loaned some players a van to go to a charity event. That’s beyond absurd.”
Attempts to reach the IFL office were unsuccessful. A message left with IFL director of football operations Mike Allshouse was not returned.
The Storm had to forfeit several victories in 2009 due to a violation of the league’s insurance policies (while under a different owner), and while they acknowledge they were guilty then, they still felt the IFL unfairly penalized them for that violation out of a desire to interrupt their dominance.
When asked if he felt there are IFL owners deliberately trying to force the Storm’s departure from the league, Tryon said: “Absolutely there are. There’s definitely a few vocal owners that want to get rid of us. But there are some great owners that don’t.”
Tryon downplayed a suggestion that the Storm might look to leave the IFL for another league, but did say: “I just am starting to question whether the 60 hours a week and the financial commitment is worth the constant drama and always being on the defensive. This is the best league for us (geographically), so there’s not many places to turn unless I just want to make a personal decision to get out of this industry.”
Tryon was adamant that Askew is not a villain. He was released by the Ice shortly after providing the information, and Abdallah said that Askew made it clear during the hearing that he feels the Ice were merely using him to dig up dirt on the Storm.
“He testified that he was used by the Colorado Ice and that their sole purpose in bringing him in was to bring dirt out on the Storm,” said Abdallah, who recorded the teleconference.
“The committee’s decision isn’t supported by the evidence, and the timing is very disturbing, coming the day before the playoffs begin. This appears to be a continuing pattern of certain teams trying to gain an advantage over a team off the field that they can’t beat on it.”
Storm remain heavy favorite
Fighting the urge to assume an easy victory is the Storm’s charge this week, even with Riggs unable to serve as coach.
Fortunately for the defending champs, they have a proven track record of preparing seriously for all of their opponents, and nobody is worried about a letdown against the 6-8 Steelhawks.
“We know how to take care of our business,” said defensive lineman Sean Kelly, in his first year with the team. “This team has been here before. These guys are professionals."
Lehigh Valley won just twice on the road this season, and the Storm (14-0) have won 22 straight at home.
The Steelhawks surrendered the fifth-fewest points in the IFL this season (43.9 per game) and the fourth-fewest yards (236.1). They also rank among the league leaders with 23 interceptions.
But even the toughest defenses in the league are unlikely to slow down the Sioux Falls offense, which averages a league-high 67.2 points and 317.6 yards per game.
That means it’ll be up to Lehigh Valley’s offense to keep up, and the Steelhawks ranked near the bottom of the league in points (43.2) and total offense (228.8). And that offense will be working against a Storm defense that is hitting its stride, allowing a league-low 40.2 points per game and ranking second in total defense (211.3).
Source: www.argusleader.com/article/20120....es ?odyssey=nav|head
Read more: www.steelhawksfans.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=ifltalk&thread=105#ixzz1yd47rWai
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