<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=yspsctnhdln>Temple's Chaney suspends himself for one game</TD></TR><TR><TD height=7><SPACER height="1" width="1" type="block"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>By DAN GELSTON, AP Sports Writer
February 23, 2005
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<SMALL>AP - Feb 23, 5:42 pm EST</SMALL>
More Photos</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Temple coach John Chaney suspended himself Wednesday for one game and apologized for putting a player in against St. Joseph's a day earlier for the sole purpose of rough play and quick fouls.
Chaney offered the self-imposed one-game suspension after meeting with Temple president David Adamany and athletic director Bill Bradshaw. He will be replaced on the bench by assistant Dan Leibovitz for Saturday's game against Massachusetts.
``I would like to apologize to Saint Joseph's University, its fans, student-athletes and head coach Phil Martelli for my reprehensible behavior during Tuesday night's game,'' Chaney said in a statement. ``I spoke with Coach Martelli today to voice my apology to him and his team.''
Upset by what he thought were illegal screens by Saint Joseph's that were not being called by the officials, Chaney turned to seldom-used 6-foot-8, 250-pound Nehemiah Ingram to ``send a message.''
Ingram started throwing his arms around and tossing elbows, once connecting hard to the chin of Hawks center Dwayne Jones, and had a hard foul on John Bryant that left him sprawled on the court for several minutes.
Ingram fouled out in 4 minutes.
``I'm sending a message,'' Chaney said after the game. ``I'm going to send in what we used to do years ago, send in the goon.''
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</NOSCRIPT></IFRAME></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Atlantic 10 commissioner Linda Bruno supported Chaney's decision to suspend himself.
``Coach Chaney's behavior was uncharacteristic of the way he runs his program and I expect that a similar occurrence will not happen again,'' Bruno said.
Chaney's only other career suspension came in 1994. Temple suspended the Hall of Famer for one game after he publicly threatened to kill then-Massachusetts coach John Calipari.
Chaney complained on Monday during an Atlantic 10 conference call that the Hawks were guilty of setting illegal picks and warned he would send in a ``goon,'' to protect the Owls (13-11, 9-4 Atlantic 10).
``My student-athletes are in no way responsible for my actions last night,'' said Chaney, 721-294 in 33 seasons.
Bryant complained of a sore right elbow on Wednesday and needed X-rays.
``I grew up watching Chaney, I still admire him, but I don't really understand the situation fully,'' Bryant said Wednesday. ``It was just weird. It didn't really hit me until now. Last night, I was up all night. I couldn't sleep.''
Normally mild-mannered Pat Carroll of the Hawks started jawing with Ingram.
``He hit DJ a couple of times and then he hit me coming off a screen,'' Carroll said Wednesday. ``I wasn't hoping for any fights to come out of this thing, but you have to stick up for your teammates.''
Some Temple students spit in the direction of Bryant and Saint Joe's cheerleaders and booed when Bryant got up and walked off the court. Adamany said the first few rows of the student section would be empty for Saturday's game as a reminder they should uphold the standards of good sportsmanship.
``These actions are not indicative of what I represent and I regret them immensely,'' Chaney said. It didn't matter in the result as Saint Joseph's clinched a share of its fifth straight Atlantic 10 title with a 63-56 victory. ``I hope it was a heat-of-the-moment decision and we can turn the spotlight back on my team and the play of my team because what they've accomplished has been absolutely remarkable,'' Martelli said Wednesday.
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