Letter to Big South Commish regarding Joe Forte

[Back In The Saddle]

Originally Posted by ncaambbref

I will apologize for some of my comments. I let some of the people on here get to me...then I realized, why should I care about personal attacks when they really aren't personal because NONE of you on here know who I am, just as I do not know who any of you are or what leagues you officiate. Some have criticized my officiating ability when you have NO idea what leagues I work at all. That in itself is funny. I could be in the Big East or just a JuCo guy...you NEVER know. ANd yes, I could be working the lockout too! Speculate all you want...

Again, I pointed out what I felt was unfair treatment, regardless if people agree with me or not. Obviously, some do. Obviously, those who are in the Big South know what I have alleged is true. Why else would the NBA and the Big South contact those who were affected to investigate the situation?

It is clear that some have a loyalty connection with Forte and that is fine. But loyalty is a ONE way street. As soon as some of those who are LOYAL to Forte misapply a rule or are late to a game or do something eles, let's see how far that loyalty card takes them. They would more than likely be punished for their actions just as Forte should be punished for his!

Reagrdless of one's personal feelings toward the replacement refs, the game of basketball is bigger than anyone of us. And there will ALWAYS be referees who will gladly step in our shoes, even if YOU may not be one of them.

Forte abused his power as the coordinator of the Big South and this my fellow officials, MUST be addressed!!!

My father used to say, "Working here is like peeing your pants while wearing a dark suit. You get a nice warm feeling, but nobody notices". Much the same could be said about hanging out here.

I'm curious what your goal was in bringing this here. AFAIK Joe Forte doesn't hang out here. And it's a solid bet the commissioner he works for doesn't hang out here. Perhaps a few of his staff, or former staff do. But, as you have told us, they are already well aware of the situation.

That leaves you with a relatively small audience, none of whom can do anything about this issue. Even if we were all stirred to action and took to the streets...then what?

If you're just looking for solidarity for your position on this, the result has been disappointing. But it should not surprise you. We have no dog in this fight. This is not an activist community. We're just here to talk some bball, improve our knowledge, sometimes vent a little, tell a few lies about what levels we're working, and forget that we have no actual social lives.

Nevertheless, though I don't share your outrage at what is happening, I wish you well in your efforts to get some justice for those you feel have been wronged.

[TussAgee11]

I have no dog in this fight.

Seems to me, if the accusations you made were true, we would see some formations of legal proceedings against Mr. Forte. But we have not, so I am left to assume this is a case of a disgruntled person voicing their opinions behind the protection of the keyboard.

If and when charges are brought against Mr. Forte or the Big South, the Big South commissioner fires Mr. Forte, or Mr. Forte's assigning practices change in light of these allegations/pressure from the commissioner, I will consider a change of opinion. For now, play on.

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by TussAgee11

I have no dog in this fight.

Seems to me, if the accusations you made were true, we would see some formations of legal proceedings against Mr. Forte. But we have not, so I am left to assume this is a case of a disgruntled person voicing their opinions behind the protection of the keyboard.

If and when charges are brought against Mr. Forte or the Big South, the Big South commissioner fires Mr. Forte, or Mr. Forte's assigning practices change in light of these allegations/pressure from the commissioner, I will consider a change of opinion. For now, play on.

Unfortunately, being an NBA replacement is not a class of people protecting from discrimination in hiring. Unless there is a broken contract, there is not much they can complain about and get something done. I believe al contacts are year-to-year. In fact, most probalby say there is no guarantee of games. So, the officials really have no legal basis for action.

The officials made a choice and choices have consequences. Now they have to live with them.

And I actually do not support the actions of Forte (if accurately represented) nor do I support the NBA officials refusing to accept a decent offer from the league. While I think unions have their place, most modern day unions ultimately do harm to the people they represent...being the biggest factor in the loss of US jobs...pricing themselves out of the market...forcing companies to move away.

[TussAgee11]

Originally Posted by Camron Rust

Unfortunately, being an NBA replacement is not a class of people protecting from discrimination in hiring. Unless there is a broken contract, there is not much they can complain about and get something done. I believe al contacts are year-to-year. In fact, most probalby say there is no guarantee of games. So, the officials really have no legal basis for action.

The officials made a choice and choices have consequences. Now they have to live with them.

And I actually do not support the actions of Forte (if accurately represented) nor do I support the NBA officials refusing to accept a decent offer from the league. While I think unions have their place, most modern day unions ultimately do harm to the people they represent...being the biggest factor in the loss of US jobs...pricing themselves out of the market...forcing companies to move away.

I obviously won't play lawyer as I a) have no understanding of the applicable labor laws and b) have no understanding of the intricacies of NBA union / D1 assigning.

I think my point was that if there are no legal proceedings, then he probably didn't break the law. And if he didn't break the law, then tough cookies for those who made choices knowing full well the consequence they could have, as unfair as they may be, as you suggested Camron.