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UNM's Soccer star Elizabeth Lambert gets pulled!
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Why can't UNM's line play like this?
I occasionally eat at Einstein's bagels across from UNM, and I'm pretty sure UNM soccer star Elizabeth Lambert was right behind me. Thankfully, she didn't pull my hair to get in front of me. You've seen the clip on ESPN where Lambert pulls a BYU player's hair so hard that the girl falls to the turf. UNM announced that they were suspending Lambert indefinitely. There's no doubt that Lambert committed a foul, but was it a crime?
Rough plays are part of soccer, much like a hard foul is a part of basketball. On the hard wood, former Laker Vlade Divac would flop at the slightest touch. Here, the BYU player was literally pulled into the air. Had there been a rock or a cleat on the turf, there could have been some permanent damage. UNM's football team could learn a lot about toughness from Lambert.
This happened in Utah.I don't know the difference between a red card and a yellow card, but I do know simple battery when I see it.. Had it happened here in New Mexico, the authorities could have charged her with a misdemeanor. The key words in the New Mexico statute are rude, insolent and angry. One defense is consent. It is arguable that players give "consent" to a battery --a hard kick, an elbow, or even a punch-- just by going onto the soccer pitch, but they don't consent to getting their hair pulled and getting dragged to the ground..
The ESPN announcers compared it to MMA. An MMA fighter "consents" to a punch and a kick. Even a low blow or two. If his opponent brings out a chair, that would be beyond the scope of his consent. In professional wrestling, a chair is part of the "sport." However if someone pulled out a gun, that would cross the line into criminal activity.
I am glad that Lambert wasn't charged. She promptly apologized and she will be able to channel her competitive spirit to the next level of Women's soccer somewhere in the world. She might be able to market herself as a spokesman for something out there...
If I see her again at Einstein's, I'll let her cut in front of me.
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