The violent hair-pull incident in a BYU semifinal MWC soccer tournament with New Mexico continues to spark commentary across the country as The New York Times took league officials and the New Mexico coach to task on Tuesday.
Lobo defender Elizabeth Lambert was suspended by UNM for aggressive play in the 1-0 loss to the Cougars last week in Provo. If you haven't seen the video or want to see it again:
Wrote Rob Hughes in today's New York Times:
"But too few ask what blame should be bourne by Lambert's coach, Kit Vela, or the referee, Joe Pimentel, and assistant referees. How could it be that Vela did not remove her player when the emotions quite clearly were getting the better of her? How could Pimentel, a referee of some standing locally, stand by when such appalling and deliberate foul play was afoot?" To read his entire column click here.
The incident has received worldwide attention including a label of "despicable losership" by an ABC Good Morning America host and ESPN's Julie Foudy calling it "going over the line."
A group of soccer fans created a Facebook page on the Internet to ban Lambert from soccer forever. Within days, the site collected 3,605 members.