[JeremyLansing]

Originally Posted by PandaHatMan

FIRST tries to remove some stress from the refs by making most of the rules clearly objective and not based on intent. Perhaps it was not intentional, but if you look at it objectively, 171 did tip over 4296 every match at approximately the same time each match. I have nothing against you or your team, but intentional or not, it did happen repeatedly, which can be viewed as 'strategic'.

You are absolutely right that within the rules what occurred could have, and probably should have been called as strategic tipping. I take issue with the statements that have been made by others that we planned to do so, that we were attempting to execute an un-sportsmanlike strategy, and that we were trying to get a "dirty" win at all costs. I'm terribly sorry about what happened, but it was not intentional.