Lincoln East Coach Jeff Hoham issued a statement Thursday and sent a letter to Omaha South Coach Joe Maass regarding the “green card'' incident after the state boys soccer championship game.
Hoham apologized for fans' misbehavior in throwing homemade green cards after East defeated South Tuesday night.
And he said he was not talking about the cards when he told Maass after the incident, “Fans do silly things. . . . Make sure your kids know it wasn't intentional.”
Hoham said he was referring to East fans' running onto the field and to East players' penalties when he made the remarks, according to the statement.
“In several media reports, it would appear that I was not concerned about the actions related to the display of green cards,” Hoham said in the statement, issued by the Lincoln Public Schools.
“In reality, my comments were in reference to something totally different. After the game, I was attempting to apologize for our fans running onto the field, and for my players' penalties during the game.
“I wasn't aware at the time of the events that had transpired with the horrible racist act of fans throwing green cards on the field.
“Please know that those comments do not reflect my thoughts regarding the green card incident, as I deplore racism at any level. Prejudice based on stereotypes is always intentional, and I certainly didn't mean to state that it was unintentional.”
Contacted by a reporter Thursday, Hoham declined to comment beyond the prepared statement.
Maass said Thursday he had received Hoham's letter.
“His recollection is not the same as mine,” Maass said. “I know and he knows what was said, and we'll just leave it at that.”
Maass said East officials are taking the issue seriously.
“It's good that they are doing something about it,” he said.
Several East students made hundreds of paper green cards — an immigration reference aimed at South's largely Latino team — with the intention of holding the cards up during the game.
East administrators have said they caught wind of that plan, confiscated some of the cards and warned students that anyone caught displaying them would be expelled.
But when East fans rushed the field after the game, dozens of cards were flung into the air and littered the field. East administrators have said one fan actually threw the cards. But several students have been suspended for making and distributing the cards.
Many fans noticed the green cards and took offense. They lay scattered on the field behind the Lincoln East team and coaches during trophy and medal presentations.
After the trophy presentations on the field, several East administrators and a student rushed to pick up the cards.
After being approached on the field by reporters and asked about the green cards, Maass walked from South's celebration over to where Hoham was standing with his team. Maass said the two had already shaken hands after the game.
With reporters watching, Maass brought up two things with Hoham — how East fans were waving U.S. flags, and the green cards that had been thrown on the field. Maass asked Hoham what he thought about that.
Maass turned and began walking away when Hoham said fans do silly things. Hoham said, “Make sure your kids know it wasn't intentional.”
Maas looked over his shoulder and said, “It never is,” and kept walking.
In his prepared statement, Hoham wrote, “When events like this despicable act occur, it is hard to deal with them, and often painful for us to reflect. However, I believe that a greater good can come from what we all learn from this experience. We can raise our awareness of what stereotyping and discrimination does when it goes unchecked, and we can work actively together to prevent it in the future.”
In another development Thursday, State Sen. Bill Avery of Lincoln criticized the Nebraska School Activities Association for what he said was a failure of leadership in connection with the incident.
“I am also outraged that the NSAA has neither taken swift disciplinary action nor issued any statement condemning this offensive, premeditated and racist act,” Avery said in a statement.
He proposed legislation this year to revamp the NSAA structure, including greater representation for Omaha, Lincoln and more populous areas of the state. The bill failed.
He also questioned the lack of minority or female representatives on the organization's governing board.
“I am disheartened that the issue of immigration has polarized students in our community,” Avery said in his statement.
“I am hopeful that school boards will demand the NSAA condemn this action and insist on enforcement of the highest standards of sportsmanship. There is no place for racial discrimination in Nebraska high schools.”
Jim Tenopir, executive director of the NSAA, could not be reached for comment.
World-Herald staff writers Paul Hammel and Nick Rubek contributed to this report.
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