[Al Skierkiewicz]

While B&T is checked by inspectors, there is several other people that will become involved in those cases especially when reported by the team or others. While we do not intend to keep teams from competing, each instance is a case unto it's own, requiring different responses. I can tell you for a fact that what appears to be, is rarely what actually occurred. For instance, several years ago a team was noted pulling a robot out of a crate after ship. As is often the case, the rumor mill started and the story became convoluted to the point that the team in question was being denigrated in public for no good reason. As it turns out, the team had been shipped something that looked like a robot but was not. Further investigation showed that the team had in fact followed all rules, shipping their robot on time. It was a simply a case of someone seeing something and jumping to conclusions. You have all seen instances of this rumor mill hurting other teams right here on CD over the years. GP carries over to passing or starting rumors without all the facts. Just don't do it. Give the team the benefit of the doubt.