The RMLL Board of Directors (“the Board”) has considered the motion of the Junior A division made and passed with a 3/4th’s majority.
We have reviewed the rationale for this vote as well as the counter arguments from the Raiders organization. The Board also listened to the testimony of several individuals during a phone conference call and subsequently reviewed the negotiated offers exchanged before the Junior A motion for expulsion was passed. The Board has had several conversations over the phone and via email while trying to find the best way to respond to this motion. We explicitly did not consider any letters of support or related material that was sent to the Board en masse or individually. We deemed this information irrelevant to the issue at hand and the Board is well acquainted with the best interests of the league and its participants.
The decision of the Board is to not ratify the decision of the Junior A division to expel the Okotoks Raiders franchise from the league. Further, the decision of the Board is to implement the negotiated offer from the Okotoks Raiders dated December 4, 2012. In this offer, Jennifer Pollock and David Fehr agreed to step back from involvement with the team at any meetings of the division, the RMLL or the ALA. In addition, Mr. Fehr agreed to not appear on the bench during games. This agreement has no restrictions on the coach, Dave Pym.
The Board appreciates the significant efforts made by the Raiders (demonstrated in their proposal) to change the dynamics of the situation so that the league would have a stable place from which progress might be possible. We agree that expulsion would not meet the interests of any parties and certainly not the development of players and lacrosse in the RMLL.
The Board agrees that Dave Pym should not be included in this action, nor should there be any dictation about who the Raiders (or any team) can or cannot retain as a member of their coaching staff. If there are allegations against Mr. Pym, they should be pursued through proper disciplinary channels of the RMLL and the ALA and Mr. Pym should have the right to address those allegations.
Furthermore, the RMLL Board agrees with the suggestion by the Okotoks Raiders that a strategic planning process should be initiated for the Junior A division to ensure that all teams (and any teams that may enter in the future) are explicitly on the same page with respect to the purpose, goals, processes and principles of conduct that must be met within the division.
It is clear to the Board that there is a long history of deep division and distrust in the Junior A division and we believe this is the best way to move forward and away from that history. There is no perfect ruling or recommendation and there is no magical long-term prescription for harmony and accord. However, a first step has to be taken and the majority of the RMLL Board believes this is the most appropriate action at this time. We look forward to working with all the teams in the Junior A division as we formulate the strategic planning process and begin preparations for the 2013 season.
RMLL Board of Directors
