Whatever happened to sportsmanship?

So as you may have heard on every news station this past week... in a girls college soccer game between University of New Mexico and Brigham Young University, player Elizabeth Lambert made headlines for her unusual on-field behavior.

Punching, kicking, tripping and eventually a vicious ponytail grab from behind towards an opponent has put Lambert's name on the tip of everyone's tongue. Her rough actions have caused a national uproar for the way she behaved towards the other team. And the odd part of it is that she only received one yellow card throughout the game. If you watch the video you can clearly see she should have received a red card and been ejected from the game.



Now Lambert has come out with a statement saying that she regrets her actions and she has realized it made her look like a monster. "I definitely feel because I am a female it did bring about a lot more attention than if a male were to do it. It's more expected for men to go out there and be rough," she said.

However, that statement jujst doesnt seem to sit right with me. I feel as if she should be sincerely apologizing to the other team as well as all the fans who support her. The fact that she is implying that if this was an action of a male sports player it would not be dragged on like her situation- seems like a sad excuse on her part. Yes soccer is a physical sport, and males tend to be more aggressive on the field and it goes unnoticed- however pulling someones hair so hard that they fall right to the ground is simply inexcusable and childish. She intentionally acted that way for a reason and should not be trying to blame the media for the way this issue has played out so far.

The apology doesn't seem to make up for her conduct on the field... However the New Mexico coach Kit Vela announced that Lambert has been suspended indefinitely from the team prohibiting her from practicing, conditioning, and taking part in any game.

So what do you think of the situation? Do you think she received the correct punishment for her actions or has this story been blown out of proportion?