The Coaches Association of the Kanto Collegiate Football Association decided that it will refuse to play the Nihon University Phoenix this fall unless the school changes its culture after the controversial dirty tackle incident against Kwansei Gakuin University, the union of Kanto Division I head coaches announced on Thursday night in Tokyo.
"We respect the Phoenix as the defending national champion, but we also are in the position of having to protect our players as coaches," chairman Shigeru Oyama said. "We don't want to play the Phoenix until they change."
The Coaches Association consists of 16 head coaches from top division schools. From Nihon University, where Masato Uchida resigned last Saturday, assistant coach Taku Mori attended and apologized for the trouble at the beginning of Thursday's meeting, which was closed to the media. Mori left the meeting following the apology, and did not speak to the media.