Should I use this quote?

It's rare that you see more than two in a high school game, let alone a pro or college match. Six is obscene.

 

Well, considering the entire sport is on probation from the high school federation in my state, six cards seems like an easy game for the refs to call.

 

Yeah, Some Guy, as reprimands go a card in soccer is basically the equivalent of a technical foul in basketball. A yellow is a warning and no big deal. You usually get them for rough fouls or, like the coach, for mouthing off. Two yellows (called a soft red) is an ejection. You can also go straight to a hard red, which is an immediate ejection AND they can't sub for the player. Those are rare, and usually only given out for fighting.
So, six yellows on one team -- in the absence of a bench-clearing brawl -- is something noteworthy. Especially when the other team gets none.

And I also try to give high school coaches some slack. A lot of them don't know any better, and shoot off without thinking about it. I'll usually tune them out if it's obvious their morons. If it's not a crucial part of the story, there's no reason to cost them several hundred dollars (the fine for criticizing refs in most states) for no good reason. These guys aren't millionaires, after all.
In this case, though, it was a noteworthy part of the game and something needed to be in there about it one way or another. He shot off, got the chance to reel it back in, and didn't bite. Oh well. I'd like to have a bug in that phone when the AD rings him up tomorrow afternoon.

Thanks for the advice, all.

 

Don't forget to follow up to see if there were any fines or suspensions. And call the state athletic association to see what its take on it is. Six cards in a game that didn't involve a massive brawl is rather absurd.

 

I have several questions.

1. If this is HS soccer, in what region do they play the sport in the winter season?
2. If this is HS soccer, how are they fining coaches for quotes in the media? I could see suspension, but fines?
3. Were you serious when asking if you should use the quote?

 

HS soccer is a winter/spring sport in some states. It starts in January in my neck of the woods and runs through late March.

 

Some states have indoor, too.

 

Definitely use it. He said it to a reporter and you even offered him a chance to back out of it.

The repercussions are his -- not yours.

 

Did you really write this:

The Cornholers' ego also took a beating from the referees.


As an editor, I'd whack that sentence without even blinking.

 

Batman -- the guy said, "Put it in there."
He didn't say, "That's off the record."
It'd be a dilemma if he said the second. You'd have to think about the coach's future value to you. And you still might come down on the side of using it. In this case, it's a no-brainer.

 

When I see questions like this, I wonder if I've stumbled on to highschooljournalists.com.

Can you seriously have even a hint of a doubt about whether or not to use that quote?

 

I can see the debate for not using the quote, but not because you're trying to protect the coach from himself or anything of that sort. Instead, think about these...

Is it possible you're giving him a grandstand for a bias of his own that goes beyond the game? Does his ranting about officials being biased merit some investigative follow up? Is that quote going to sidetrack your reader with questions, etc.