Call out to keep the fans off field

Two Miami of Ohio football coaches have been suspended in the aftermath of violence at a game.
OXFORD, Ohio (AP) -- A confrontation that ended with a Miami University assistant coach handcuffed and a Marshall fan hospitalized is prompting calls for a crackdown on fans swarming the field.
Fans streamed onto the field Tuesday night after Marshall's last-second, 36-34 victory over the RedHawks in Huntington, W.Va. A Miami assistant coach was arrested for allegedly knocking down a fan, who was treated and released from a hospital.
Defensive coordinator Jon Wauford was suspended with pay Wednesday, pending an investigation. Linebackers coach Taver Johnson also was suspended with pay after acknowledging that he damaged the visiting coaches' box.
Schools try to prevent fans from tearing down goal posts after victories, a tradition that has resulted in injuries. They need to go a step further and make sure fans can't get onto the field at all, Miami interim athletic director Steve Snyder said Wednesday.
His opinion
"It's time now," Snyder said. "We used to worry about fans rushing the goal posts and tearing them down. Now we're having to worry about protecting people rather than goal posts, so we need to do something."
On-field security in sports has become a bigger concern since two fans assaulted Kansas City first base coach Tom Gamboa at Comiskey Park during a game last September.
Miami coach Terry Hoeppner was worried about security at Marshall, which has become a top rival in recent years. Hoeppner brought two university police officers for protection, something he hadn't done before.
"It's scary," Hoeppner said. "I had more police protection around me and that shouldn't be necessary. We've lost a little bit of our perspective."
Apology
Hoeppner apologized for the post-game problems, but predicted that Wauford will be exonerated because of the conditions on the field after the game.
"It was emotional in all contexts," Hoeppner said.
Marshall coach Bob Pruett said he didn't see the confrontation and declined to comment on it.
Wauford was led off the field in handcuffs and charged with battery, a misdemeanor. He was released on $5,000 bond and has a court hearing Dec. 13.
West Virginia State Police said Wauford shoved Robert Flaugher, 36, who fell and hit his head on the artificial turf. He was taken away on a stretcher with what was diagnosed as a concussion.
Brother's explanation
Flaugher's brother, Todd, said that neither he nor his brother used abusive language toward Miami players or coaches.
"He was waving good-bye to Miami's players ... the coach basically hit him with a forearm. That knocked him flat. His head definitely hit first on the turf. It was basically a sucker punch," Todd Flaugher said.
Robert Flaugher said he ran onto the field and congratulated the Marshall players, but doesn't remember being knocked down.
"I'm tired and I've got a splitting headache and a little bit of a neck cramp where apparently my neck snapped back, but other than that, I'm feeling no worse for the wear," he told WCHS-TV.