The B.C. Football Conference has suspended Westshore Rebels head coach Charly Cardilicchia for three games after he blasted the league last weekend.
The bench boss was irate after the league cancelled his team’s road game at Kamloops due to poor air quality.
The problem, in Cardilicchia’s view, is that the league waited until his Rebels had already taken a ferry over to the Mainland and were well on their way to the Interior before pulling the plug.
The coach said his team spent $7,000 out of its travel budget, money the team will not be reinbursed for, and he had this to say to Kamloops This Week reporter Marty Hastings.
“As far as we’re concerned, this has been an absolute freaking joke,” Cardilicchia said. “The whole thing is pretty Mickey Mouse.”
If that had been all he said, he may have gotten away with it.
But he had more.
““They messed up. They f—— up. They’re the f—— idiots that couldn’t get out of bed until 11 o’clock and tell us the game was cancelled.”
Cardilicchia stayed quiet Wednesday afternoon after the suspension was announced, but the Rebels released a statement.
“The Westshore Rebels respect the B.C Football Conference’s decision regarding the three-game suspension of head coach Charly Cardilicchia,” said team president Rob Lervold. “His personal comments were in direct violation of the Coaches Code of Ethics and in no way were they reflective of the opinions of the Westshore Rebels. Effective immediately, [defensive co-ordinator] Shane Beatty will be the acting head coach.”
Beatty will run the bench for Saturday night’s home game against the Vancouver Island Raiders, lead the Rebels on the road for a Sept. 8 game versus the Vancouver Island Raiders and return home for a Sept. 15 date with Kamloops. The Broncos game will be worth four points in the standings.