Date Posted:10:24:21 07/17/01 Tue Author: GMG Subject: NIU fired Binkowski yesterday. In reply to:
THE TRUTH
's message, "Off season news..........." on 09:01:39 07/17/01 Tue
>
>
> Associated Press
>
>
> DEKALB, Ill. -- The players tried to take the field,
>but the marching band refused to yield.
>By the time it was over, a few musicians had been
>knocked to the ground, a football player and a coach
>were under arrest and the school was apologizing.
>
>The incident occurred when about 20 members of the
>Northern Illinois University football team arrived at
>their practice field Thursday to find it occupied by a
>drum corps.
>NIU spokeswoman Melanie Magara said the drum corps
>from Columbus, Ohio, was practicing at Huskie Stadium
>for the Drum Corps Midwest, an annual event at NIU
>this weekend that draws 25 drum corps from the United
>States, Canada and China. Along with one dopey,
>unemployed, ex-pep band manager from Columbus, OH.
>
>
>John Binkowski, 32, the school's strength and
>conditioning coach, approached the leader of the
>corps, but "the dispute did not get resolved," Magara
>said.
>Details of just what happened are sketchy, Magara
>said. "But from what we know some members of the
>football team ran onto the field" while the drum corps
>was still practicing.
>
>“I saw the whole thing happen.” said a witness that
>would only identify himself as X Band ’01. “I have not
>seen abuse of this high level since high school when I
>was locked in my locker everyday for three straight
>years by members of the geometry club. Skip never
>would have let this happen. When I yelled at them to
>stop, they started chasing me, luckily they still had
>those drummers stuck to their feet and were unable to
>run very fast.”
>
>"And two or three of the folks practicing were bumped
>into, knocked over by football players running from
>one end of the football field to another." The sobbing
>and screams for their mommies could be heard up to 2
>1/2 miles away.
>
>NIU police were called and Binkowski and a member of
>the team, 20-year-old Anthony Falbo, were arrested and
>charged with battery, Magara said. None of the drum
>corps members suffered injuries that would be
>considered serious to a "regular" person. Since these
>we band geeks however three still remain on life
>support.
>
>The school is investigating the incident. Binkowski
>has been suspended from his job without pay and could
>be disciplined, Magara said. NIU officials also said
>the players involved will be disciplined based on the
>results of their investigation.
>
>"I am deeply disturbed by this incident and want to
>personally apologize to members of the Corps and their
>families," NIU President John Peters said in a
>prepared statement. "There is no excuse for what
>happened, and I want to assure all involved that
>extremely serious measures have and will be taken to
>ensure that those responsible are appropriately
>restrained and disciplined. I take that back that X
>band fag deserved it, he is truly a loser."
>
>NIU football coach Joe Novak echoed Peters'
>statements, saying he was "extremely disappointed that
>only members of the drum corps were injured and no ex
>pep band managers."
>
>THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE
