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This photo of the Carroll High School football team ran in the Carroll Daily Times Herald on Monday. The newspaper altered the photo before publication to "blur" four players, three of whom were making similar hand gestures and a fourth whom the paper judged not to be acting in a "respectable manner."The decision prompted one boy's father to resign as a booster club president and left the local newspaper explaining its decision to publish an altered version of the photo.
Three Carroll High School football players face a one-game suspension for making what the school has deemed obscene hand gestures in a team photograph.
The controversy comes the week Carroll High is to play cross-town rival Carroll Kuemper.
The photo, taken by the Carroll Daily Times Herald, appeared Monday in the newspaper's fall sports preview section. The newspaper "blurred" four players in the photo, three of whom were making similar hand gestures and a fourth whom the newspaper judged not to be acting in a "respectable manner." The fourth player was not suspended from playing.
Every player on the team, including those obscured, was identified by name below the photo. An editor's note followed:
"The above photo has been altered to remove hand gestures displayed by four members of the team. While we considered not publishing the photo, we felt it was not fair to the 51 young individuals who conducted themselves in a respectable manner."
One of the suspended players is a returning two-year starter. Another had been expected to start.
Mike Bach, the father of one of the suspended players, said he was informed by a school administrator on Monday that the three boys would miss one game. Bach was the school's booster club president before resigning Monday night, citing his disappointment in the way the school handled the situation.
Bach contended that the hand gesture the boys made is not obscene and has been commonly displayed by athletes in other sports at the school, as well as by widely known college athletes.
The gesture had become so accepted at the school, Bach said, that a varsity head coach at Carroll High used a picture of a player showing the gesture as a screen saver on his school computer.
"There was absolutely no intention at all to disrespect themselves or Carroll High School or the general public," Bach said of the suspended boys. He said he has requested that the school reconsider its decision.
Carroll High Superintendent Rob Cordes would not comment on the players' suspensions. He said the coach mentioned by Bach voluntarily removed the screen saver and had been unaware that the gesture could be interpreted as offensive.
The gesture, involving the middle, index and pinky fingers, goes by various names including "the shocker" when the connotation is sexual in nature.
Cordes said that if athletes in past seasons had been using gestures that could be considered offensive, school administrators were unaware of it. If the administration had knowledge that the gestures could be considered offensive, it would have taken the appropriate steps, he said.
In explaining her decision to run the altered photo, Ann Wilson, general manager and co-owner of the Daily Times Herald, said Monday that the players' action "was disrespectful to the team, to us and to women, which means mothers, sisters and girlfriends."
"Why cover it up?" she asked. "I think young people need to learn to take responsibility for their actions."
On Tuesday she added that the paper would have handled any gesture, including one not considered offensive, the same way.
"Any gesture would be considered inappropriate, whether it's a thumbs-up or anything," she said. "If it happens again, we'd do it the exact same way."
On Monday, Wilson said she strongly opposed shooting the photo again, citing an unwillingness to take up more of the team's time, as well as the newspaper's time and resources.
Carroll opens its season Friday after qualifying for the Class 3-A playoffs in 2006. Kuemper opened its season last week with a 29-14 win over Glenwood. The Class 2-A Knights are seeking their fourth straight playoff appearance. The teams play Friday at the Carroll Athletic Field.
This photo of the Carroll High School football team ran in the Carroll Daily Times Herald on Monday. The newspaper altered the photo before publication to "blur" four players, three of whom were making similar hand gestures and a fourth whom the paper judged not to be acting in a "respectable manner."The decision prompted one boy's father to resign as a booster club president and left the local newspaper explaining its decision to publish an altered version of the photo.
Three Carroll High School football players face a one-game suspension for making what the school has deemed obscene hand gestures in a team photograph.
The controversy comes the week Carroll High is to play cross-town rival Carroll Kuemper.
The photo, taken by the Carroll Daily Times Herald, appeared Monday in the newspaper's fall sports preview section. The newspaper "blurred" four players in the photo, three of whom were making similar hand gestures and a fourth whom the newspaper judged not to be acting in a "respectable manner." The fourth player was not suspended from playing.
Every player on the team, including those obscured, was identified by name below the photo. An editor's note followed:
"The above photo has been altered to remove hand gestures displayed by four members of the team. While we considered not publishing the photo, we felt it was not fair to the 51 young individuals who conducted themselves in a respectable manner."
One of the suspended players is a returning two-year starter. Another had been expected to start.
Mike Bach, the father of one of the suspended players, said he was informed by a school administrator on Monday that the three boys would miss one game. Bach was the school's booster club president before resigning Monday night, citing his disappointment in the way the school handled the situation.
Bach contended that the hand gesture the boys made is not obscene and has been commonly displayed by athletes in other sports at the school, as well as by widely known college athletes.
The gesture had become so accepted at the school, Bach said, that a varsity head coach at Carroll High used a picture of a player showing the gesture as a screen saver on his school computer.
"There was absolutely no intention at all to disrespect themselves or Carroll High School or the general public," Bach said of the suspended boys. He said he has requested that the school reconsider its decision.
Carroll High Superintendent Rob Cordes would not comment on the players' suspensions. He said the coach mentioned by Bach voluntarily removed the screen saver and had been unaware that the gesture could be interpreted as offensive.
The gesture, involving the middle, index and pinky fingers, goes by various names including "the shocker" when the connotation is sexual in nature.
Cordes said that if athletes in past seasons had been using gestures that could be considered offensive, school administrators were unaware of it. If the administration had knowledge that the gestures could be considered offensive, it would have taken the appropriate steps, he said.
In explaining her decision to run the altered photo, Ann Wilson, general manager and co-owner of the Daily Times Herald, said Monday that the players' action "was disrespectful to the team, to us and to women, which means mothers, sisters and girlfriends."
"Why cover it up?" she asked. "I think young people need to learn to take responsibility for their actions."
On Tuesday she added that the paper would have handled any gesture, including one not considered offensive, the same way.
"Any gesture would be considered inappropriate, whether it's a thumbs-up or anything," she said. "If it happens again, we'd do it the exact same way."
On Monday, Wilson said she strongly opposed shooting the photo again, citing an unwillingness to take up more of the team's time, as well as the newspaper's time and resources.
Carroll opens its season Friday after qualifying for the Class 3-A playoffs in 2006. Kuemper opened its season last week with a 29-14 win over Glenwood. The Class 2-A Knights are seeking their fourth straight playoff appearance. The teams play Friday at the Carroll Athletic Field.
