Women’s Soccer Bully Elizabeth Lambert Suspended Indefinitely
Elizabeth Lambert, the violent, dirty, women's soccer player that everyone has been hearing about since Sportscenter ran the story, has now come out with an apology.
As these things go, this story is developing like clockwork. Bad incident, press coverage, school takes disciplinary action (mostly to save face), then player apologizes. Lambert viciously tackled, punched, elbowed kicked and pulled hair in a recent game and the entire thing was caught on camera. The school has now announced that they will be suspending her indefinitely and she has issued a public statement apologizing for her actions:
"I am deeply and wholeheartedly regretful for my actions," said Lambert. "My actions were uncalled for. I let my emotions get the best of me in a heated situation. I take full responsibility for my actions and accept any punishment felt necessary from the coaching staff and UNM administration. This is in no way indicative of my character or the soccer player that I am. I am sorry to my coaches and teammates for any and all damages I have brought upon them. I am especially sorry to BYU and the BYU women's soccer players that were personally affected by my actions. I have the utmost respect for the BYU women's soccer program and its players."
As always, the apology is clearly contrived and most likely prepared by a lawyer. My guess is she is exactly the kind of thug we saw her as in that clip, regardless of this emotionless public statement. Will this create an outcry about violence in girls' sports? I haven't heard much about it, but with the sensationalist media controlling the story, you never know.
Regardless of the apology, I'm still confident I wouldn't want to see her in a dark alley. Even if she made this camel toe list. Yikes.
Hat Tip - [Go Lobos]
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Give me a break…this is a cookie-cutter apology from a thug. Meaningless. She’s lucky she wasn’t playing a Big East team and did that…she’d have her jaw wired shut about now.
maybe if she could play she would not have to play dirty
Lambert’s “apology” is 100% pure BS.
You don’t play like that just once, in the heat of “emotion.” Anyone who plays that dirty is a dirty player ALL the time. Why do you think the camera was on her so much? Because she has a reputation. Somebody knew she was a dirty player, and they wanted to catch her on camera. And they did. Over and over.
The refs were incompetent to let that nonsense go on and on. Her coach is as guilty as she is – nobody can be blind to that kind of dirty play. Bank on this, too: If she’s that way on the pitch, she doesn’t change character just because she crosses a white line and walks off.
“Indefinite” suspension should be for at least the rest of the season, which is closing down anyway. Better to kick her off the team before she permanently injures someone. She should not be allowed to play a game she clearly does not respect.
It’s all part of the strategy of getting people out of the game. Like basketball when you see players act out a charge, when it really isn’t, hoping they can get the opponent out after so many yellow cards/flags. Get the best players out that way. They did it to Rodman so many times and just like her, he would lose to emotions because he would fight back. Now those chicks are laughing cause they got away with it scott free (Instigating and playing this type of strategy is also seen as bad sportsmanship). Tricky devils, Good job! Keep it up till it comes around! I also agree with Ron about the officials and their lack of participation and insurance for players and their future careers. It’s what kept Rodman from being expelled indefinitely throughout his career. Shame on them and where is their apology? Everyone deserves another opportunity!
This is completely off base, how was she provoked, she is a complete psycho, and should be suspended for ever. I mean how can anyone want to play with a person who clearly doesn’t care if she seriously injures you. I wouldn’t be surprised to find dead cats and dogs in her backyard, she needs serious help….
I think the media is pointing the finger at the wrong person here. The finger she be pointed directly at the match officials, as it is quite evident they were not doing their job, She should have been sent off immediately after the first incident, and this entire situation would have been avoided.
There is not excuse in the fact that 3 officials were unable to see her actions.
Absolutely correct, Ron Canada! Why is it that soccer players can do on the field those things that could result in an assault charge if they weren’t done on a soccer field? Officials have a duty to keep the “beautiful game” safe, first and foremost.
Soccer is a very physical contact sport. That being said….
My son was almost killed in a soccer game while he was in high school, an opposing player got mad because he successfully blocked all the attempted goals (he was goalie) and so this opponent came in with a late kick directly to the head as my son went down on the ball.
The aggressor’s excuse? He was just so “into the game, his emotions got the best of him”. Right. I didn’t buy it then and I don’t now with this thuggish bully Elizabeth Lambert.. This is college level play, she knew exactly what she was doing. Coaches, officials and players should not tolerate this kind of poor sportsmanship.
UNM needs to get to the heart of this matter. First, her coach failed by allowing this play to continue even when the refs failed to put a stop to it. The referees are watching 22 players, and the ball. The coach is resposible for 11 players. At what point do you see your own player playing that dirty and think it is acceptable to allow it to continue? She should have been substituted out after the first two dirty tackles and spoken to. Second, if Miss Lambert has been exhibiting consistently dirty and openly hostile play, it would seem to me that she has other issues. Is her play that weak that she needs to resort to these tactics? is she being challenged by her coaches to “take one for the team” and play like this? In any regard, this type of play goes beyond a one match offense and UNM needs to look very closely at the coaching staff before they brush Miss Lambert under the carpet.
She’s clearly over the line, but in at least the 2 most frequently shown transgressions (the punch to the back and the hair pull), the opponent started the aggression and was much sneakier about it.
Before she hit one in the back, that girl elbowed her in the chest. And if you look carefully, right before the hair pull, the other girl intentionally reached back – without turning around – and yanked her shorts up at the front, clearly to inflict pain. That looked like a well practiced and calculated move, perhaps one that she’s been able to use effectively in the past without being seen.
No excuse for the reaction, but seeing those videos, I would argue that in both cases the other girls started it and should have been thrown out too. If you slap me without provocation and I punch you, are you blameless? If you slap me and I shoot you, clearly I’ve gone too far. To me, there is a middle ground but it is silly to ignore the actions of the other team. I don’t follow women’s soccer, but if Miss Lambert is a known aggressor, is it possible that BYU intentionally tried to get her thrown out by actions like these?
An elbow in the chest is not that big of a deal, i play soccer myself it happens. You do not throw punches to the back because of being elbowed, completely uncalled for. A tug on the shorts is a distraction tactic. I myself have never used it but it has been done to me multiple times, and in result i do not yank girls to the ground. You don’t get kick out of a match for elbowing and jersey pulling, punching and ripping girls to the ground is something not tolerated.
I wondered a couple things when I saw the tape. First, where were the referees? Second, where were the other BYU Team mates? The entire team from BYU must be a bunch of pancies – can you spell R-E-T-A-L-I-A-T-I-O-N? No way that girl should have been allowed to continue to play – someone (do they have captains at BYU?) should have simply made sure Miss Lambert had an unfortunate, career ending knee (or face) injury. Simple as that.
ht, I can spell retaliation — but evidently you can’t spell “pansies.”
Spelling aside, It is NOT as simple as a team captain or any other BYU team mate making sure that Miss Lambert has an unfortunate, career ending injury as you suggest. What you suggest, assuming you mean that the retaliating BYU player intend to cause permanent injury to Miss Lambert, would be a crime.
Frankly, I think some of what Miss Lambert did were crimes as well, considering it was well outside the scope of the game of soccer. Indeed, a couple of the more blatant offences probably could have resulted in charges being filed if the BYU victim had decided to pursue it. But for you to believe that retaliation is the answer does nothing more than give the impression that you’re just as much of a thug as Miss Lambert.
No, the onus in this one falls squarely in the lap of Miss Lambert, the officials, and the UNM coaches. As for Miss Lambert specifically, she should be permanently removed from the team.
We’ve all seen the degredation of womens sports to the men’s level. The issue is always the same. Women play to the level of the refereeing. If you don’t get away with this stuff early in the contest then the quality and level of play is much higher. I don’t blame Elizabeth, there are years of other influences in this story culminating in her suspension. No behavior continues unless there are rewards or accolades for the behaviorWhere were the refs and her own coaches during her career? It will always be about winning and less about character in sports at all levels.
JD
I think that they should just make out.
There is nothing that can justify her actions. It sets a BAD example to our children. I hope they suspend her for good! If she doesn’t know how to play clean, she shouldn’t be playing at all. She obviously have an anger management problem. As a soccer mom, I hope they take her out of the games permanently.
Oh come on! Elizabeth is just a sweet little misunderstood darling and you guys are all blowing this out of proportion. She gave back exactly whay she got from the other side. If you’re going to blame anyone, blame those ignorant dipsticks called officials!
get real sgk…ALL involved in this need to answer for their actions…starting with the individual who caused the harm.
Look at the video closely. Some here want to equate a tug on the shorts to a violent hair grab which yanked her neck back and slammed her body to the ground. Again, look at the video closely. Especially the second before the shorts were tugged. You can see that Lambert ALREADY has a hold of the BYU players hair. She is already lightly pulling on it or holding it. So it seems that Lambert instigates the situation here again (not to mention all the other flagrant fouls before). That is why once the BYU player tugs on the shorts, probably to let Lambert know to get off her back on stop grabbing her hair, that Lambert almost simultaneously slams her to the ground. Lambert already had a hold of her hair before the shorts were tugged. It took me about 10 views of the video to finally see that but now its obvious. Either way you see it Lambert is out of control and over reacted. She is a maniac!
Elizabeth Lambert needs one of two things:
1, If shes confusing football with fighting she should be made to go one round with a UFC fighter!
- or -
2, Someone should just give her an absolute beating when they recognise her on the street!
If she did that to my girlfriend, I’d smash her f***ing face in! Make her play soccer with the guys and see how tough she aint!
I don’t get it. What is so different from a sports feild and your front yard? It is the same for all sports; football, basketball, soccer, ect…. You can go on TV infront of thousands and maybe millions of witnesses (through a camera) and assault, beat, physicaly harm, and even mayme someone and it is ok because you are playing sports. I personaly think everyone that throws a punch, kick, bites, or commits any violent act (that isn’t reasonably part of the sport) should be stuck in a dang jail cell. Just because you are in the heat of competition don’t mean you are above the law. A soldier in the heat a BATTLE still has laws they are required to fallow. How is this ignorant, childish, and dangerous behavior acceptable? I think this Lambert gal should be facing… I think I saw at least four counts of assualt. Am I realy the only person seeing this crap?
Hmm…suspended indefinitely for this heinous behaviour, eh?
I recommend revoking her scholarship, if she has one, and requiring immediate reimbursement for all scholarship money she has received so far. No payment plan — immediate reimbursement. Scholarship or no, I also recommend that she be expelled from UNM. Perhaps a educational program more in line with her behaviour is in order — something more physical that will allow her to vent her considerable rage and lack of thought process on an inanimate object will likely be best. Her athletic years are over – period. A person would have to be insane to be on any sort of team – of ANY kind with this woman.
Look at the big picture…. She reverted under stress to what she knew, what she has been taught all her life. very simply put… PEOPLE….HER PARENTS FAILED… She’s a looser and we all know it. Look at Tonya Harding… seen her lately???? another Looser!!! Elizabeth will soon become the Tonya Harding of Soccer !!
She’s a goon. She makes the entire New Mexico team look so bush league. Her apology is crap because it wasn’t just one incident. She belongs in the ring doing female UFC.
She was a spoiled child or…maybe she just never got corrected as a child…any way it is, she was neglected somewhere. Needs charges pressed against her. And her coach?(S) this wasnt the first time…they need disciplined, the school needs disciplined…fined for allowing this to get this far. I hope someone presses charges…
I truly think the punishment was too harsh there is definatley a double standard in sports. If a man tries to poke out another’s man’s eye on the field he gets a slap on the wrist but if a woman pulls another woman’s hair it’s called brutal. This is outrageous!!! She should not be suspended indef that is way to harsh give her a break. Look at the video again the gilr elbowed her first then she knocked her to the ground I would have done the same thing. I used to play sports in high school and it can get brutal out there you have to protect your self. Leave her alone!!!!
Just viewed several of the video clips and though Lambert was not justified in her actions, one has to ask where the heck were the referees throughout the match? Lambert and others should have left the field long before the hair pull gig – and did you see what the BYU player did to Lambert just prior to the hair pull? A nice frontal wedgie – I don’t think that felt good to Lambert but it is always the retaliatory act that seems to catch the attention and not the causitive action.
i quit officating girls/women soccer years ago but this stuff went on alot – girls are way dirtier than men/boys but if camera crew had not ‘caught’ it it would still be happening – glad to see the suspension ; the apology is only a effort to get back to kicking somebodies ass on the feild again – i sure hope that never happens
Bullies like Elizabeth Lambert will reap what they sow in VALHALLA !!! some call it KARMA !!!
it doesn’t matter what sport, or whether it is men’s or women’s play. In college level sports, this sort of thuggism is wrong and contrary to the whole idea of sportsmanship. She deserves her suspension, and I hope (naively, I’m sure) that she’ll never get to play college level sports again. But the person not receiving near enough attention for this is the coach and coaching staff. Clearly, this wasn’t a one-off; this has to be her regular level of play. Her coaches could not help but know about it, and either condoned Lambert’s actions by looking the other way, or encouraged them. The coach, who must be a “winning-is-all-that-matters” kind of a coach, should be fired. No doubt Lambert will get a position offered to her on a professional team someday, but college athletics are a different animal than pro sports, and should be treated that way.