Music: {allcanada} Kotylak banned from national team

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

{allcanada} Kotylak banned from national team

OTTAWA -- A Canadian water polo player who was shown in a notorious photograph at the Vancovuer Stanley Cup riot has been banned from the national team for two years.

Nathan Kotylak was handed the suspension by Water Polo Canada's discipline panel.

The 18-year-old from Maple Ridge, B.C., apologized in June after social media sites posted pictures showing a teen stuffing a rag into the gas tank of a police car during the post-Stanley Cup riot on June 15th.

The ban prevents Kotylak from representing Canada on any national team until June of 2013, and he cannot receive any Sport Canada funding for two years.

The panel described Kotylak's actions as "very serious" in a written decision released Monday night.

The ruling followed a full-day hearing last Friday in Vancouver.

"The message is you're an athlete and you're representing Canada all the time whether you're on the field of play or you're out at a restaurant or in the general public," said Ahmed El-Awadi, Executive Director of Water Polo Canada.

"In our view, Nathan's actions on June 15th were a clear violation of the Water Polo Canada code of conduct."

El-Awad said Kotylak's lawyers received the ruling late Monday and offered no immediate reaction.