TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — "There are no words really to come up with for how they're feeling," said Tallahassee Community College Athletic Director Rob Chaney about telling the Eagle men's basketball team their season was over on Thursday. "All I could come up with was I was sad and disappointed for them."
For the second year in a row, TCC will miss out on the postseason. Last year, it was due to COVID-19. This year, an altercation led to the suspension of the entire team.
For Chaney, it's not the way he envisioned this season ending for the Eagles, who were ranked 14th in the latest National Poll.
The entire men's basketball roster was charged with a violent ejection by the National Junior College Athletic Association, which carries a two-game suspension as a result of the fight, which occurred after their game with Pensacola State Saturday was over.
Chaney said he felt losing their season was in the realm of possibilities, but when the ruling came down Thursday he was still in shock.
"If this were something that happened in the midst of a game, it probably would have been a conversation to be had because that's so much more public and it's much easier to determine exactly what happened," said Chaney. "In this case, I think probably a lot of unanswered questions, so I think that's what created the uncertainty in the first part of the week."
Chaney said as of now, the focus is on finishing the semester strong. He said if more information on the altercation becomes available, they'll determine if additional punishments are necessary.
