Ok, just read through this lot, I also just got home so I better put the record straight about a few things.
I have no broken bones, not even a broken finger-nail but I did have a discoloured nose for a day and a bruised finger, and that I'm afraid is the extent of my injuries.
Now, I am not trying to minimize anything here because I was punched and kicked for about a minute by five Rage players.
I have read what Chris wrote and as usual, he's written some stuff that has made him look like a pr!ck and I'm glad other people have picked up on that.
Anyway, ignoring raehl for the moment, here goes what happened :- Just to highlight Rage's mindset before the game into some from of context might be help at this point.
Chino, Rage's captain, told me after the incident, that his guys were really angry with me for describing them as lacking integrity and honour in an article I wrote that referred to their conduct at Chicago where they knowingly allowed a false score sheet to go through thus knocking Nexus out and putting them in.
As fate has it sometimes, we ended up playing them in this tourney. We ended up losing a very tense game but as one of their two last guys go in for the kill he gets tagged (I doubt he knew it tho) and the judge refused to pull him off the field and leaves him to run the flag back.
I got no real problem with that, as sh!t sometimes happens in paintball and the judge more than likely just facked up and I don't think Chino could have known he was hit.
But our last guy did call it many times but to no avail, the Rage was player was not checked.
As the game finishes, I ask a judge if I can go on the field, he replies 'yes', I was going on, with no intent other than to ask the judge at the far end of the field why he had not checked the Rage player, that was all.
As I walk past the Rage dead box toward the opposite end of the field, I think five of them were in there, they are all screaming, and one shouts ' Fcuk you Robbo'.
I turn back, spit on the floor and reply with the same.
Shouldn't have reacted I know, but hey, I am human for god's sake.
At that point, all hell breaks loose and they come flying out of the dead box and I grab the first one that gets to me and then I am defending myself as best I can with all five of them kicking and punching the cr@p outa me.
Luckily I had enough wits about me to cover up and guard what needed to be guarded and the onslaught did not even put me down.
I sustained a few bruises from kicks and punches and a bloody nose.
No problemo, I have had worse damage reports.
As soon as it stopped, I stood up, mentally checked myself, all was kool apart from my bleeding nose and I was escorted from the field to get cleaned up.
And that was that !
It seems ironic to me now that they were so pissed off at me writing they had no honour or integrity and they end up jumping me, five handed
Anyways, I have heard soo many stories about what was supposed to have happened it was becoming ridiculous.
I want to make one thing clear and the video shows this clearly. I did not go into their dead box as the fracas took place about ten feet from their dead box and this means, it was they who left the dead box to get to me but I believe some people are saying I went into their dead box to get one of their players, this is just not true, they came out the dead box to get me.
As for their punishment?
Well, looking back, I think it is obvious it should have been a lot worse.
As for my blame ?
I did walk on the field yes and although I was given permission by a ref, I think I should never have gone on there.
I wonder though, if raehl would have been bleating as much if Joe Bloggs from the Alabamy Wreckin Crew had asked a judge to go on the field after a game and had been ok'ed and the same thing happen ???
I think not, by the way Chris, you ain't posting nothing more on this thread, you annoy me and you have agendas outside of reason or impartiality !!!
So that was that, I hold my hands up to going on the field when I shouldn't really have done (but with a judge's permission), and to reacting with a 'fcuk u' and a spit to the ground in response to them verbally abusing me.
Hardly grounds for what happened afterwards.
They all came up to me afterwards and apologized and I have to say, Chino, their captain, acted exemplary and if he had been in the midst of things, it would never have happened.
Chino and myself go back a long way and have always respected each other and although we didn't see eye to eye in Chicago, he would never have countenanced such actions as happened in Miami.
When I think back on it, all the ingredients were there, smouldering away. Me walking onto the field and reacting just lit the blue touch paper, the resultant bang was out of order and cowardly but what's done is done and I have now accepted their apologies.
All I want now, is for my team Nexus, to go back out to the States next year and enjoy playing and not be worrying about any grudge matches and that is my number one priority in all of this.
I really don't give two ****s about me, if I get thrown off the rules committee, then so be it, I don't care, little inconsequentials like raehl loves to spice that sorta **** up coz he got nothing else to do in his life.
I care about my players and I want no fall out from any of this affecting any of them.
As far as Rage and myself are concerned, I have had my say now as they had theirs on the field and what's done is done.
Let that be an end to it all.