Haywood requests TSSAA special-called hearing on baseball postseason ban, fine

Haywood High officials have appealed the TSSAA's decision last week to place its baseball program on a two-year restrictive probation after coach Dusty Rhodes and assistant coach Alex Whitwell were both ejected during a Class AA state tournament game.

The school has requested a hearing before TSSAA Board of Control members from the West Tennessee grand division regarding sanctions issued from executive director Bernard Childress on Frday. The hearing will be held at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at the DoubleTree Hotel in Murfreesboro prior to the TSSAA's sanctioning body's regularly scheduled meeting at 7 p.m. 

Last week, TSSAA gave the baseball program a two-year postseason ban and a total of $4,500 in fines after Rhodes and Whitwell were ejected on May 22.

Those sanctions were handed down after the TSSAA felt "the administration was given ample opportunity to address the unfortunate incident but chose to only enforce what the Bylaws require."

TSSAA is not able to punish coaches outside of the two-game suspension given as punishment to an ejection. A school would need to add punishment to individual coaches. The TSSAA can only punish the program and athletic program in general.

Rhodes and Whitwell were ejected during the sixth inning of the Tomcats' second game of the Class AA state tournament against Sequatchie County, which Haywood lost 6-4 to be eliminated.

A video of the ejections shows Rhodes kicking dirt on the umpire after he was ejected and Haywood players restraining Rhodes.

Rhodes said that he was never confined to the dugout or warned by the umpire.

The umpires report in the letter sent from TSSAA states that the umpire did restrict Rhodes to the dugout, Rhodes then tripped him and chest-bumped him. The umpire said that Rhodes' arguing lasted over 10 minutes.

In his five state tournament appearances, Rhodes has a 15-4 record, and he has a 153-28 coaching record overall.

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Reach Michael Odom at michodom@jacksonsun.com or 731-425-9754. Follow him on Twitter @JSWriterMichael.