I know that if it were my team's coach doing that at an exhibition game in another country to referees in training (and my own team's players, assistants, etc.), I'd be terribly embarrassed.
1. Marshall, who is portrayed as a totally calculated genius in these matters (scheduling, training, getting his players into mindsets, establishing a prevailing attitude, infusing a competitive "play angry" spirit, knowing the right level of competition to have down to research on opposing players, etc.) If he's such a mastermind, such a genius, such a shrewd assessor of situations like this, shouldn't he have known that if he was going to Canada to play he could expect questionable refs, and should have prepared accordingly? Or not taken that trip, and gone somewhere else? 2. Notice his team was losing on the scoreboard when he lost all reasonable control. Not ahead by only 5 points against a Canadian team making a run, not ahead by 10 points against a Canadian team but realizing that the refereeing was causing a "safety hazard" for his players, not winning by 15 or 20 points as he should against a Canadian team but nevertheless realizing that the inexperience of the referees might lead to a situation where one of his players could be injured. He was losing--- down by 4 points in an exhibition to a foreign team from a country not known for being especially good at basketball. And that's what made him temporarily insane and violent against novice referees in another country where they must now undoubtedly consider Americans to be inherently, genetically, pathologically violent and crazy. 3. We've seen glimpses of this before. People who are transfixed by the brilliance and infallibility of Head Coach Gregg Marshall often portray his temper and simmering anger as "intensity." But there have been times where he's been physical with his own players, nearby equipment, and anyone who gets into the way when he wants to charge at somebody to scream at them so "intensely" as to intimidate them physically.
I read some of the excuses and backstories invented to explain away this episode on mvcfans.com and Shockernet. I am honestly saying these excuses and the convoluted pretzel-logic denials of clear facts and events on video actually makes me frightened for the future of the world-- no really. Clear and unambiguous facts are now denied with regularity so that people don't have to admit any fault or mistake or error in judgment whatsoever. These kinds of refutations and re-inventions and denials of facts are so prevalent in so many areas of society today, it really is scary. Just admit it was wrong, remember that Marshall has shown this kind of thing before, see if he needs help to address it so it doesn't become a bigger problem in the future, and issue apologies. Why is admitting that you've made a mistake, you're at fault, and announcing that you're going to address the situation such a big problem? No one is asking him to resign, they're just asking him to apologize, take a suspension, and get help if he needs it to not embarrass, injure or kill someone in the future.
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