Bob Chipman, head men’s basketball coach, missed Wednesday night’s game against Fort Hays State University, because of physical contact between him and an official after the Emporia game last Saturday.

Criticism has been mounting since last Saturday, with some people saying Chipman has gone too far, and others thinking the men’s basketball team has taken a turn for the worse.

This is the second year in a row Chipman has had a losing record with the team, despite two-decades worth of winning seasons and even a national championship. So why is everyone so quick to criticize?

Every team has its downfalls. Bill Snyder had more than a handful of winning seasons on the Kansas State University football team, and then went through a lull in his last few years, yet no one was doubting the team as much as they are Washburn now.

Chipman did apologize in a press release for his actions after the Emporia game – “I would never intentionally make contact with an official because I have too much respect for the game and the officials. I’ve learned from this and my team is going to move forward from here.”

Apologizing was the right thing to do, and we can all learn that when we know we get out of hand, we should do the same. We, and the rest of the MIAA, should accept this apology and let it go.

Two weeks ago, the Review released a story that the men’s basketball team had broken NCAA rules while on their trip to China. Ralph McFillen, the commissioner of the MIAA, said Washburn has no commitment to NCAA compliance. McFillen was also the same individual that accused Chipman of his actions after the Emporia game and chose to suspend him. It seems to us that McFillen is just jumping on Chipman when he is down and that is the worst kind of leader possible. If Washburn didn’t have regard for the rules, we would have noticed this behavior a long time ago.

Chipman and his team have a lot of potential in the future, and we should continue to support them, despite mistakes.