Defense of Hawaii football scrap and Vili!

1) featured on Star Bulletin

http://starbulletin.com/2004/01/09/editorial/indexletters.html

Taunting led to fracas at bowl game

Seems like there is an organized effort to slam Coach June Jones and the University of Hawaii football team for the fight at the Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Day.
I was sitting one row behind the Houston fans section. Most of them were well-mannered, and we even made friends with some of them. But there were Houston fans who turned around and taunted UH fans while Houston was winning. When Houston started losing and Hawaii fans started cheering, these Houston fans were giving the finger to Hawaii fans. I also saw Houston players giving the finger to UH fans.

The fact is that Houston and Conference USA hate losing to the WAC. I've never seen the winning team start a fight, and I clearly saw Houston players start the fight and several who kept it going just when you thought it was under control. To those saying that Hawaii players should have just walked away, let's punch out one of your family members and see how long you stand around and watch!
Craig Watase
Honolulu

AMEN Mr. Watase

2) Featured on 1/9/04 edition of Honolulu Advertiser

Condemnation of Vili the Warrior uncalled for

Sandra Williams' personal attack on Vili the Warrior mascot in your Dec. 28 issue is offensive.

Every institution in America that has a football team at the collegiate level has some kind of "obnoxious mascot" representing its fine institution and has, from time to time, said or done things that have left a bad taste in people's mouths.

For her to insinuate that Vili is a disgrace and should be banned from any University of Hawai'i athletic event is ludicrous and outright ridiculous. Vili is a wonderful husband to his wife, Linda, and their four beautiful sons, and he is the epitome of what a Warrior is. Vili has been a blessing and an asset to the UH athletic department and does his job with the utmost professionalism in preparing for every event.

A Samoan saying, "Fa'amalosi," means "be strong." Vili, you will persevere no matter what.

Lua Tuiasosopo
'Ewa Beach

AMEN Lua Tuiasosopo!

Mascots are supposed to be menacing towards it's opposition and friendly to its allies. That is what Vili does. We need an aggressive mascot, and Vili gives us that! We dont want any wimpy mascot like the previous Hawaii mascots (ie. marshmallow man, some guy in a fake warrior costume which didnt look aggressive as Vili)

More on the Hawaii-Houston scrap

Here is one letter to the Honolulu Advertiser defending the Hawaii football brawl, appearing on 1/7/04


Warriors were simply defending themselves

After reading the initial blast of negative letters about the Hawai'i Bowl game, the UH players and June Jones, I thought I should balance the scale.

I was working on the field and had close-up observations from start to finish, which included Houston players trying to intimidate UH players with overly abusive taunting and cheap-shot punches throughout the game. It actually started from the warm-up period. Seemed that a Houston strategy was to scare the Hawai'i boys into losing the game.

Do the letter writers expect UH players to let Houston players continue to punch and kick them throughout the entire game if the refs don't stop the offenders?

The Hawai'i players were defending themselves and their teammates. After the initial pushing and shoving, the Houston players initiated the vicious punches and kicks, including flying blindside kicks. The Hawai'i players fought back. Some of the Houston coaches were double-palm-thrust pounding Hawai'i players in the chest instead of concentrating on pulling their own players back. When several Houston players got a Hawai'i player pinned down on the turf and pummeled him with vicious punches and kicks, the Hawai'i players went berserk. Does anyone think that the other Hawai'i players should run away from a teammate in peril?

The UH players played their hearts out and left it all on the field for themselves and for us, the people of Hawai'i. They deserve much more from the uninformed false-crack critics.

Danny Black
Wahiawa

Thank you Danny Black :)