April 16, 2008: Deseret Morning News

UVSC Wrestlers Handed a Hard Fall
by Amy K. Stewart

OREM — Utah Valley State College wrestlers were suspended from the team for taking off their shirts during a dance act at the annual athletic awards banquet last week.

However, it wasn't so much the topless stunt that got the male students into trouble. It was the fact their coach told them not to do it — and they did it anyway.

"It was a disrespect of my authority," said UVSC wrestling coach Greg Williams, speaking with the Deseret News.

More than half of the team, made up of about 20 members, took off their shirts at the banquet, which was April 9 in the Sorensen Student Center, according to wrestlers interviewed.

Cory Duckworth, UVSC vice president for student affairs, attended the banquet. He said he didn't find the incident offensive.

"It's really a discipline issue between the team and the coach," he said.

The day after the banquet, Williams held a meeting with the men and told them they were suspended from the team. However, he told the wrestlers they could come to him individually and reapply to be back on the team, he said.

"It was horrible," said Benjamin Kjar, 24, of Centerville, a freshman majoring in business, when asked how he felt after being told to clean out his locker.

Some of the wrestlers cried at the meeting. The individual meetings were also emotional, Williams said. "I think I got my point across," he said.

All the team members have been reinstated, according to wrestlers interviewed.

"It was a one-day learning experience," Williams said.

Duckworth says he supports the coach's actions. "These kind of things we leave to the coaches' decision," he said. "If the coach felt that was appropriate as a learning experience for these students, I would definitely stand behind that."

UVSC athletic director Michael Jacobsen agrees. "A coach is a leader and in charge. The kids need to follow directions," he said. "The kids should have done what the coach asked them to."

Jacobsen added, "I don't have a problem with how the coach handled this."

Duckworth said the wrestlers' scholarships were not in danger. The suspension was simply a limited time period during which the wrestlers couldn't take part in team activities, he said.

The incident began when UVSC athletic department public relations officials asked Williams if the wrestling team could provide the entertainment at the annual banquet.

The wrestlers practiced a comedy skit where a group of "nerds" and a group of "gangsters" have a dance off. They planned to whip off their shirts, as a joke, at the end of the performance.

It seemed like a fun idea. But when everyone arrived at the banquet, with UVSC president William A. Sederburg and other administrators and dignitaries in the audience, Williams decided to ax the dance's grand finale.

"I was concerned," the coach said.

Williams said he told the wrestlers to keep their shirts on.

The wrestlers did their dance. And many of them took their shirts off at the end.

"I was stunned. I never had any team of mine go against anything I said," Williams said. "There are consequences."

Wrestlers interviewed said they didn't think the incident was that serious until later. "We made a mistake," Kjar said.

Wrestler Sam Allen, 25, of Kaysville, a senior majoring in marketing, said no one was upset over their performance. "Lots of people afterward told me how great it was," he said.