Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School has suspended its varsity football program immediately after several of its players and members of the coaching staff “exhibited unprincipled behavior” in last Friday’s 27-0 victory over Upper Cape in South Easton.
In a statement released Monday, Superintendent of Schools Luis Lopes said both during and after the game, “several of our varsity football players and members of the coaching staff exhibited unprincipled behavior not consistent with our school’s code of conduct.”
Lopes said Southeastern’s players and coaches “exhibited poor sportsmanship, taunting members of the opposing team and shouting obscenities.
“Not only were multiple penalties called during the game, but the behavior of students and coaching staff after the game was not at all consistent with the values of our school community . . . This behavior is unacceptable, disappointing and goes against our core values.”
Advertisement
As a result, Southeastern (4-3) will forfeit Friday’s game at Shawsheen Valley Tech (5-4) in the quarterfinals of the MVADA Large School playoffs.
Lopes said he would be closely monitoring the behavior of his players in the coming weeks to determine if Southeastern will take the field on Thanksgiving Day against West Bridgewater.
Southeastern AD Director Daniel Tripp has been in contact with Upper Cape AD Benjamin Rabinovitch since Friday. Lopes also called Upper Cape Superintendent Roger Forget to apologize for the behavior of his staff and players.
“We will be thoroughly reviewing the events that transpired on Friday night. We will ensure that such unacceptable behavior is not repeated in the future. We will also meet with all coaches and athletes to ensure that the basic tenets of sportsmanship are known and followed by all during the upcoming season.”
Craig Larson can be reached at craig.larson@globe.com.