Kevin Gorman: WPIAL should teach Mars star Michael Carmody lesson in sportsmanship

By: Kevin Gorman
Tuesday, March 3, 2020 | 5:28 PM

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The WPIAL Class 5A boys basketball championship was a David vs. Goliath matchup that featured 6-foot-6, 290-pound senior Michael Carmody of Mars against 5-10, 150-pound freshman Rodney Gallagher of Laurel Highlands.

How Gallagher handled his slingshot in leading Laurel Highlands to a 52-51 victory over the defending champions has been overshadowed by Carmody’s behavior Friday night at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center.

And that’s a shame, given it was a great game.

Carmody, a Notre Dame football recruit, complained about fouls that weren’t called. He complained about fouls that were called. A turning point in the game came late in the third quarter, when he was whistled for an intentional foul after swinging his right elbow and knocking Gallagher to the floor.

When the game ended on a missed shot by Mars at the buzzer, Carmody confronted an official about failing to call a blocking foul on Gallagher. Then he kicked the basketball at the celebrating Mustangs. It was no way for any high school athlete to act on a championship stage.

“Not just at a championship-level event, but any event,” WPIAL associate executive director Amy Scheuneman said. “That’s not how sports are supposed to be played, and we need to keep focused on that, too. … We witnessed it all.”

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The WPIAL sent that message loud and clear in a disciplinary letter Monday, informing Mars that Carmody would be suspended for two games for his unsportsmanlike conduct. The school responded by requesting a hearing before the WPIAL board of directors and will appeal the punishment Wednesday afternoon.

“That’s why we asked for a hearing, to give our side of the story,” said Mars athletic director Scott Heinauer, who also coached Carmody in football.

It will be another David vs. Goliath matchup, one where the roles are reversed. Now, Mars and Carmody are the underdogs against the giant that is the WPIAL. And if there’s one thing we have learned, it’s that you’re not going to beat the WPIAL. It’s about trying to limit how much you lose.

Carmody likely will claim he’s the victim of unfair and unprecedented punishment. Under PIAA rules, an ejection would have merited only a one-game suspension. And Carmody wasn’t even ejected, let alone slapped with a technical foul — even if his tirade at the buzzer merited one or both.

I was there. I witnessed it all, too.

It was sad to see such a prominent player put on such a poor display. That’s especially true with his father, Mars coach Rob Carmody, standing on the sideline. Rob Carmody immediately confronted his son after the game, admonishing him for his actions. By then, it was too little, too late.

The punishment is harsh for Carmody and his team, especially given he averages 19 points and 19.5 rebounds a game for the Fightin’ Planets. If the suspension is upheld, Carmody would miss Mars’ PIAA first-round game against Elizabethtown on Friday and, with a victory, the second round.

But here’s the problem: The WPIAL contends the suspension wasn’t based on his behavior over one call — or even in that one game. The WPIAL received a complaint about Carmody after a section game against Shaler this season and sent Mars a letter warning it was aware of his behavior and urging him to show sportsmanship.

That letter wasn’t just a friendly reminder.

It could have serious consequences.

It hasn’t helped that Rob Carmody has defended his son, which you would expect from a father and a coach. For all of his emotional outbursts in the WPIAL final, Michael Carmody is a straight-A student. He’s a good kid, not a bad apple. But he needs to realize his behavior was unacceptable.

And the WPIAL is taking a heavy-handed approach, perhaps because it was embarrassed by one of its biggest stars on its biggest stage. Carmody shouldn’t escape punishment, but a two-game suspension in the PIAA playoffs is awfully harsh. Then again, Scheuneman warned when it comes to protecting the safety of student-athletes under PIAA by-laws, “we can suspend any length of time.”

Not that safety appeared to be as much of a concern as sportsmanship, or the behavior as much of a concern as the embarrassment it caused the WPIAL.

“Everything would play into decisions that are made,” she said.

So should a public apology.

The first thing Michael Carmody should say is he’s sorry, that he’s learned a very difficult but valuable lesson. Not just to the WPIAL board but to Laurel Highlands. Showing contrition is a good place to start.

The WPIAL doesn’t need to make an extreme example of Carmody, not after the public scolding he has received on social media. Personally, I’d prefer to see both sides settle on a one-game suspension, akin to an ejection.

I’m more interested in seeing how Carmody responds, whether he exhibits better behavior or continues complaining. You would hate to see his career end on this note and for his decorated career to be remembered for this incident.

Hopefully, it will serve as a lesson in sportsmanship, one learned not just by Mars and the Carmodys but by every WPIAL team and athlete. Scheuneman is right: That’s not how sports are supposed to be played.

But it’s important to remember high school athletes are kids, and it’s our jobs as adults to teach them right from wrong. Sometimes, that requires us to show them tough love. Sometimes, it requires us to model the best behavior.

The best way to teach sportsmanship is to show sportsmanship.

We need to keep focused on that, too.

Watch the archived video stream broadcast of the WPIAL Class 5A championship game on Trib HSSN.