Senator Anastasia Pittman has scheduled a news conference for 10 a.m. Wednesday to formally ask the Oklahoma Secondary School Activity Association to allow for a replay of all or part of the Class 3A football quarterfinal playoff game last week between Oklahoma City’s Frederick A. Douglass High School and Locust Grove High School.
Pittman, D-Oklahoma City, will be joined by Douglass coach Willis Alexander at the news conference along with community and religious leaders and representatives from the NAACP. Pittman also invites elected officials and other interested parties to attend.
The news conference will be held in Room 432-B of the Oklahoma State Capitol.
The Douglass Trojans scored a touchdown to take a 25-20 lead with a minute to play in Friday’s playoff game, but the touchdown was disallowed because of an improperly enforced penalty. Proper procedure called for the touchdown to stand and the penalty to be enforced after the score, but the touchdown was improperly taken away. Locust Grove went on to win the game 20-19 and advance to the state semifinals.
Oklahoma leaders like Sen. David Holt and former University of Oklahoma football coach Barry Switzer have called for the OSSAA to allow the final minute of the game to be replayed. Oklahoma City Public Schools officially requested a replay, but the OSSAA denied it. The OSSAA Board of Directors is set to hear an appeal of the decision Wednesday.
“This is an opportunity for the OSSAA to do the right thing,” Pittman said. “This is about an organization of adults that has taken something away from a group of Oklahoma children, and the ability to decide to make things right and let this playoff game be settled on the field.”
This is the wrong way to go! The officials decided the call, right or wrong. Political interference is just what no one needs. Think about it! How can a political person get so involved in a sports event of any kind? A sad commentary on society.
I cant figure out why the NAACP needs to be involved strange.
Maybe the NY Times should publish the names and addresses of the referees like they did for former Ferguson, MO Police Officer Darren Wilson.
People, there are bad calls in EVERY game, EVERY week! If the replay happens, I will start protesting every game; and out of fairness, I would expect Senator Pittman will have several news conferences every week – One for every game. Okay, I’m easy; we can combine all the games in any given week’s news conference.
Of course, I won’t really waste my time protesting games, unless I get bored; in which case I expect fair treatment from the good Senator.