The University of New Mexico has suspended a soccer player for several plays in a Mountain West Conference semifinal that have drawn some unwanted attention to the tournament.
Article Source: NBC Sports
from:NBC SportsN. Mexico suspends hair-pulling soccer player
Seeded on Fri Nov 6, 2009 3:44 PM EST (NBC Sports)
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I saw the film with this girl and was just appalled. Thank
goodness the University took action, and this girl needs to
be banned permanently from the sport. I'm thinking this girl
has some very, very serious issues in her life.
As a resident of New Mexico I would like to apologize for the unsportsman like conduct from a female soccer player from the University Of New Mexico. It is NOT a reflection for the rest of the athletes at the university. It is unfortunate that any kind of rough deliberate physical display of behavior is uncalled for. I hope that the university not only suspends the player from the team for good, and suspend her from the university for atleast two semesters to give her the opportunity to go to another university and finish her education some where else. And be banned from ever having the priviledge of playing on any sports team. This player has given the residents of New Mexico a bad impression that all of residents do not deserve.
MSNBC. You used the wrong word. She did NOT become "FAMOUS" the spoilded brat became INFAMOUS. Please use correct terminology. Don't give credit to a poor sport where credit is not due.
yep ,ban her at least 3 years
This was descpicable and it absolutely speaks of her character. I have 4 kids playing soccer this season and I think she behaved worse than the children.
I agree with Anomalee also and thought the same thing when I read the article. She's not "famous"...she's now infamous.
She said her actions was not part of her normal character. Sorry but that is not true. You let your emotions control your anger & get the best of you, maybe for 5 or 6 minutes, then as a player, you recoup & compose yourself & play on. You kept this up the entire game & this means more than just got caught up in the game or the moment. Saying anything more takes away from the apology. She needs to take a good look at herself. Hopefully this will not carry on in her life after college, warning to future mate, thisgirl will kick your butt, if you step out of line.
If this female soccer player continues on the path to handling her emotions by kicking and punching her way through life, one of these days she will meet her match, and she will get a serious beat down from someone who will not take her abuse. Mark my words on that.
JG- I agree, I too was appalled and in disbelief. I also think she should be banned from the sport. She has some serious issues.
“Liz is a quality student-athlete, but in this instance her actions clearly crossed the line of fair play and good sportsmanship,” New Mexico coach Kit Vela said.
You can say that again!! That chick lost her marbles! She was kicking, pulling and whippin' the crap out of the BYU team. The referees must have been blind or on the take. You gotta watch the video.
She needs more than a suspension. She needs to be banned from collegiate sports and some anger management counselling.
I think one instance in this young woman's life doesn't make her life forever. Her actions on the field were wrong, but it's SOCCER. Also, she did the right thing by apologizing for her actions. Also, UNM should be commended for their swift actions..
By the way, did someone show this article to the Head Football Coach of UNM and the UNM AD. There's an example there.....Fire the Head Footbal Coach!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As a New Mexico resident the actions of the University Of New Mexico Football Coach and the female soccer player should both be terminated from the athletic program. Their kind of behavior should never be tolerated at any level. If I was the President of the University I would have the university buy out the contract of the Football Coach, and see to it that the female soccer player NEVER plays any kind of collegiate sports again. She should her physical rough actions for roller derby.
except it wasn't ONE instance. She punched one girl in the back and then pulled a different girls hair..you can damage both permanently. The punch in the back could do spinal damage and the hair pull could have snapped her neck. She needs to go buh bye.
You're right. This IS soccer. Not kick-boxing. Not female wrestling (as if that's a "real" sport). Not karate.
I am tired of athletes who are being put on pedastals they don't deserve. If they don't play the game with a good attitude and GREAT sportsmanship, they need banned, fired, and thrown out.
I love the sport. I hate the overpaid (in the case of pro's), idolized, bad attitude, obnoxious attitudes that many, if not all of these people have.
Only those of exemplary character should be given scholarships or contracts.
A remarkable piece of journalism. Who really cares? I saw the video and its completely overrated. Suspend her a game and that is it, but to get nation wide media coverage its ridiculous.
Any kind of display of rough physical deliberate harm to any human being is uncalled for. That is NOT the type of behavior that the University Of New Mexico wants to send out to the world that the athletes that play for the university are a bunch of gangster style players. I would not want that female soccer player ever again to play for the university or any university throughout the country. And that goes for the University Of New Mexico Football Coach as well. They both can save all of their physical rough actions for roller derby or hockey.
Es your statement is an understatement. Overrated? puhlease. So you condone this kind of behavior? Nope sorry..your wrong. She needs mandatory anger management classes and community service..if and when she completes 1 year of this maybe she can play again. If she ever shows any other kind of abuse to other players like this then she should be suspended permanently. I see Tonya Harding allllllll over this.
Suspend one game only? She needs a shrink and only after strict psychologal testing be allowed perhaps after several years on the lawn again.
Just watched the video. As it basically focuses on Lambert, one cannot tell if this isn't normal behavior on the soccer field. I would have been more convinced what she did was wrong, if we could see some of the other players singled-out in the video also.
The hair-pulling incident did seem a little excessive, since someone could have been hurt. The other things I saw her do, seem pretty much normal play to me - tripping, body slamming, elbowing, etc.
This is a contact sports not a chess game. I am not condoning her behaviour. It is sheer stupidity on her part. Questionable behaviour due to poor judgement is quite widespread in soccer. Most refs will card for excessive force, but if it is a shove and a push, play goes on. My kids have been playing since 5 years old and they are also refs and I have seen it all.
There's a difference between pushing and shoving and pulling someone backwards by their hair braid hard enough that they hit the ground. They weren't even in play at the time - in any other context that would have been assault and she would have been arrested for assault.
Pushing and shoving I understand, but that's not pushing and shoving. It's not even provoked as far as I can see, she just does it out of the blue.
This was an absolute mugging. She is only sorry because she got caught--on film yet.. She should be jailed for assault. Thanks to Fox & Friends for being this to light. I did not think I could think less of New Mexico but I was wrong.
I totally agree! She needs to be criminally charged and prosecuted for criminal assault. Because that is absolutely what it was. An assault.
Sorry but this girl has serious issues.
Sometimes in life just like in politics you say or do something that is a career ending moment. I think this is it. These people are role models whether they like it or not. Our children across America should see that this behavior is entirely unacceptable and renders consequences. She should not just be suspended in my opinion. She should be gone. One reason is because the hair pulling was only one moment in the game. She had many others too. When people come to moments like this they choose. She chose.
she should be banned from all sporting competition as a player and spectator.
she is a disgrace
let her go do roller derby, seems that is what she is cut out for.
she is lucky one of the other girls didnt hit her back, they should have, they had all the rights to defend themselves from that monster.
PLEASSSEEE! My 16 year old niece and her high school basketball team play every bit as rough as this girl. If you read the article, it also says that Lambert received an elbow to the ribs during a dead ball. There was enough rough play between both teams, it's just that Lambert's was caught on video for the world to see.
Any player who participates in sports should keep one thing in mind, honor, respect, and fair play should be expected from all players. It does not give the right to anyone to act like a bunch of gangster style players. If athletes want to display their tough, kicking, punching, hair pulling, they can save their abusive behavior for hockey, football, or roller derby which ever one they can get away with their violent behavior. Or even better yet, gladiator style competition. The loser can be put into an arena with a lion and hope and pray they make it out alive.
jet there is a difference between accidental and intentional...I believe she knew the difference and knew what she was doing. If it were your daughter who got pulled backwards by her braid and thrown to the ground you would feel differently for sure.
Apologies? No. Pressing charges? Yes.
Word to the brute: The way you behave under pressure certainly IS a reflection on your character.
This is a great sport and she is just sending a very wrong messege to young girls that love that sport. I know in soccer and any other sport sometimes you let your emotions catch up, but this player is very wrong she is not playing she is fighting. This is a sport not a street fight. If she have personal issues or need anger manegment she should stay in her home and not play at all. Let the real athletes play.
This is a great sport and she is just sending a very wrong messege to young girls that love that sport. I know in soccer and any other sport sometimes you let your emotions catch up, but this player is very wrong she is not playing she is fighting. This is a sport not a street fight. If she have personal issues or need anger manegment she should stay in her home and not play at all. Let the real athletes play.
I am somewhat overwhelmed by the lynch mob mentality here. As Jet Mech 44 put it, the girl caught an elbow. Go back and look at your video closely at 11 seconds. Lambert gets an elbow in the solar plexus. If you have never been struck there, and I assume most of you have not, It hurts like the devil.
I do NOT condone any play of this nature. If you think she is the only one on the field doing this, you are sadly mistaken.
The behavior from this player is totally dispicable! She is a disgrace to our gender as well as her university. She should be kicked out of school
Lambert....she needs psychological treatment! Suspended....put her ass in jail! I will be signing any petitions to get her kicked off the soccer team, and contacting the college, as we all should! Get RID of her!!!!
I only wish this wonderful little girl was playing a certain team(s) from the caribbean
The UNM coaches are missing out on their public responsibilities here. They are as responsible for a player's continued poor play and possibly encouraged her to be physical. Box scores from the previous games show that UNM out fouled their opponents, though the number of fouls are consistant with womens college soccer. Liz received cautions in the two previous games, this is indicitave of a player and team asked to step up and play more physical. In addition the coach probably emphasized this with his team as they had lost to BYU in season play 0-3. Often a coach's approach to his team playing against a perhaps stronger opponent.
I want to see the coach step up now and take responsibility for his pushing the team and standing by and watching this player assualt others.
The referee did a poor job of manageing this from the start as play was constantly on the edge and ignored the begining fouls that led to this.
I'M SORRY...
BULL PUCKY
You are just sorry you got caught!
Elbows, shoving, pushing, punching ALL of that does occur and is not condoned...
BUT yanking on someone's ponytail Snapping her neck 120 degrees backwards is freeking ASSAULT and could have permanently damaged that young ladys neck!
You need a permanent ban looser.
As a former soccer player, I know how rough the sport can get. In this instance, you really need to watch the video closely. In both situations where Liz's behavior is called into play, the player in front of her initiates illegal conduct first 1.) In the first clip Liz is elbowed in the gut first and 2.) in the second clip the other player pushed her back then grabbed her shorts aggressively. I am not condoning the extent of Liz's retaliation, but it appears to me that this was retaliation for illegally rough conduct from other team first. As a player, I also know that if you let a rough move from an opposing team go, they will hit you harder the next time - that is how women play soccer. I have seen what Liz did in this situation many times in womens soccer. I fault the referees for not calling a tighter game on both sides - in this instance I believe the instigators got away with it.
"Reality Check" is totally correct! The hair pulling was in retaliation to BYU #21's *grabbing the shorts* of Red #15.
The is no argument that #15 greatly over-reacted and should have been red-carded ... BUT - #15 wasn't the only guilty party. Takes two to tango.
BYU was just a little bit more descrete in their UN-sportsman-like conduct.
cat fight rrrraaaiiirrrre!!
That dike has some issues....
Jet Mech 44 No big deal...DOH!!!
Peregrin She hit me first Wanh!!!
Oh I see you're both from the Whine School of "she hit me first"....
That is the sorriest excuse/explanation I have seen posted so far...
Obviously you have never had a neck injury or know NOTHING about human physiology!
Again, pushing shoving,body slams...sure this is typical of soccer but yanking a persons ponytail snapping their neck is absolutely OUT OF BOUNDS in ANY SPORT...and if your sic 16 year old basketball player were to encounter someone snapping their neck i'm sure you would be the first one crying to the world...
Go rethink you posts and let me know if it is ok for me to snap your neck for elbowing you...
GENIUSES.... NOT