Duluth Public Schools to Develop ‘Action Plan’ Following Recent On-Ice Violence

Both athletic directors, along with others in the district, will develop sportsmanship expectations with a list of specific consequences linked to unsportsmanlike conduct.

DULUTH, Minn. – In a joint statement, Duluth Denfeld athletic director Tom Pearson and Duluth East athletic director Shawn Roed will be working with their coaches to develop an action plan to address sportsmanship within their athletic programs following FOX 21’s story on the incident of a Greyhounds hockey player that led to a Hunters player being diagnosed with a concussion after last Wednesday night’s game.

According to a press release, the plan begins with all coaches taking part in a program called 3Dimensional Coaching, which helps coaches be proactive in their coaching, as well as provide tools to help them better hand day to day operations and how to be a positive influence on their players’ lives. Both athletic directors, along with others in the district, will also develop sportsmanship expectations with a list of specific consequences linked to unsportsmanlike conduct, which will be added as an addition to MSHSL guidance and the district’s already existing student code of conduct.

The district hopes to have these sportsmanship expectations included in the student handbook beginning next school year. Those expectations were a big talking point since the video came out as many, including the family of the victim, believed that the punishment they learned about did not fit the severity of what happened last Wednesday night.