Japan University is scheduled to hold a press conference on the 4th regarding the handling of the drug case of the American football team, attended by President Mariko Hayashi and others. In addition to the successive arrests of club members, the decision to resign from the university and vice president, and the department's policy of disbanding the department, it will be interesting to see how they will explain it.
We will tell you in detail about the university's response, various reactions to the department's abolition policy, and the history of the department so far.
table of contents
Club members have doubts about the university's response
Various opinions on the abolition policy Signature activities on the Internet
What is the prestigious Nichidai American Football Club?
"Bad Tackle" Problem in 2018
Open Table of Contents
table of contents
table of contents
Club members have doubts about the university's response
Various opinions on the abolition policy Signature activities on the Internet
What is the prestigious Nichidai American Football Club?
"Bad Tackle" Problem in 2018
Japan University submitted its "Future Response Policy" to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology on March 30 in response to the drug case of the American football team, and a press conference will be held at 4 p.m. on the 4th with President Mariko Hayashi and others in attendance. This is the first time in about four months since August that President Hayashi will attend the press conference.
According to the already announced response policy, the problem of governance deficiencies is caused by "strong uneven social awareness" and "secrecy," and in the future, in addition to the establishment of a new audit department, a department to assist the chairman and others will be established to support information gathering, and the governance system will be reviewed.
It also shows the policy of closing the American football club, and says that measures will be taken so that current students and new students will not be disadvantaged.
As for the club, the first member to be arrested said at the first trial held last week that "I think there were about 8 members" who were using drugs, and when a can of drugs was found in the dormitory, he said, "I thought the vice president would kill it."
The resignation of the president and vice president has already been decided over a series of responses, and at the press conference on the 4th, it will be interesting to see how President Hayashi will talk about himself and the responsibilities of the university, as well as the future of the university and the department.
Club members have doubts about the university's response
According to officials, the members of the American football club have been meeting once a week since the club was suspended indefinitely. While the future is uncertain, the club members exchanged opinions about the incident and discussed measures to prevent recurrence and the team's slogan for the next year.
Under these circumstances, on the 1th of last month, the university's Competitive Sports Steering Committee decided on the policy of closing the club, and on the same day, coach Toshihide Nakamura informed the club members via a message app that the American football club would be closed.
There was no detailed explanation to the club members as to why the club was closed, and the next day, on the 28th, 29 active members submitted a petition with about 13 signatures and a request to the university to withdraw the policy of disbandment.
According to the officials, the university was informed that it would hold an online briefing session for club members on the 180th of this month.
The briefing session was subsequently changed to a combination of face-to-face and online meetings, but club members expressed doubts about the fact that the policy of disbanding the club was unilaterally communicated via a messaging app without explanation, and that the briefing session for club members was held after the press conference held by the university.
Various opinions on the abolition policy Signature activities on the Internet
There are various opinions regarding the policy of abolishing the American football team of Japan University.
An alumnus of the Japan University football club said, "I feel sorry for the current members, but I can't help but close the club," while others said, "I thought there would be a punishment, but I didn't think that the policy of abolishing the club would suddenly come out without a place for discussion."
The Kwansei Gakuin University American Football Club, which has played many famous games against Japan University in the "Koshien Bowl" to determine the best university in Japan, said, "Although there have been multiple arrests, the final result of the police investigation has not yet been released, whether it is a case of a specific student or whether the entire team should be responsible. As someone who is also involved in university sports, I am surprised by the news that Japan University has decided to close a club with such a long history. I am shocked beyond words to express my regret that the Nichidai Phoenix, with which we have built the history of American football in Japan, will disappear."
In addition, on the 30th of last month, a man who claims to be an alumnus of the Kwansei Gakuin University football team collected about 1,3 signatures on the Internet was submitted to the university.
Signatures are still being signed, and as of the 2rd of this month, more than 7000,<> signatures have been collected.
What is the prestigious Nichidai American Football Club?
The Japan University American Football Club is a strong team in the Kanto region founded in 1940 before World War II, and is a prestigious team with a history of 83 years.
Nicknamed the "Phoenix" for its team colors of red, the team dominated American football in Japan with a pass-heavy attacking formation called "Shotgun" under the guidance of Mikio Shinotake, who was the coach for more than 1959 years from 2003 to 40.
Since 1978 Japan, the team has won the Koshien Bowl five times in a row, second only to Kwansei Gakuin University, 5 times, and four times in the Rice Bowl, which determines the Japan No. 21. Graduates have also played for the top teams of adult leagues and have long been a leader in the American football world in Japan.
"Bad Tackle" Problem in 2018
However, in 2018, the coach at the time resigned due to major foul plays, so-called "malicious tackles," which occurred in a regular match against Kwansei Gakuin University, and the coaching method and team management system were heavily criticized. After that, the team rebuilt the team by recruiting a new coach, and in 2020, they participated in the Koshien Bowl for the first time in three years.
According to the Kanto Student American Football Federation, there were 3 club members and staff members as of the end of July. There were some promising players, such as top-level players from all over the country who entered the school on sports recommendations, and according to those involved, about 7 members, mainly from Kansai and other regions, were living in the student dormitory.
This season, the team was scheduled to open the league with the "Top 122" of the Kanto Student League, which will compete against the top teams of the Kanto Student League Division 30 in April, with an exchange match against long-time rival Kwansei Gakuin University, which had been suspended due to the vicious tackle problem. However, in the wake of the drug scandal, the club was suspended indefinitely, and the federation suspended all seven games this season.
Japan University will be relegated to the "BIG4" next season, where they will compete in the lower divisions of the first division, but if the club is abolished, the team will "withdraw" from the federation.