Students at Nihon University were split over the school’s decision to disband its American football team following its long-time failure to emerge from the shadow of scandal.

A petition was handed to university authorities, urging them to reverse the disbandment decision and keep the club alive.

Players and supporters of the team said innocent people should not be forced to suffer because of a few bad apples.

However, others said that the recent drug scandal showed the team has failed to reform itself, and the harsh decision to scrap the team was long overdue.

The football team’s demise started in 2018, when its coaches were found to have ordered a linebacker to intentionally injure an opposing quarterback.

The coaches resigned over the malicious late hit, and the team promised to focus on reforming itself.

But in October last year, Nihon University started to receive information that team members were using marijuana.

Three football players have been arrested so far in the drug scandal, including a third-year student suspected of drug possession in August this year.

The university, called Nichidai for short, on Nov. 29 announced its intention to abolish the football team.

“I didn’t think the club would be shut down,” a senior on the team lamented. “I have worked so hard to reach the top with my teammates.”

American football is still a minor sport in Japan, but some powerhouse teams, such as the Nichidai Phoenix, have developed a loyal following.

Nihon University’s team, established in 1940, has won 21 Koshien Bowl college football titles and four Rice Bowl national championships.

The senior player said the drug scandal could have a negative impact on the sport itself in Japan.

“It is hard for the minor sport of football to have an even worse image,” he said.

The Board of Trustees of Nihon University held an extraordinary meeting on Nov. 29 to approve the resignations of Takeo Sakai, the university president, and Yasuhiro Sawada, vice president, who have been criticized for improper handling of the drug scandal.

Sakai will step down by the end of March while Sawada will vacate his post at the end of December.

Mariko Hayashi, chairperson of the university’s board of trustees, will have her pay cut by 50 percent for six months.

“With undaunted determination, we will strive to prevent a recurrence, restore organizational soundness and  trust, and fulfill our responsibilities as an educational institution,” the university said on its website.

Nihon University on Nov. 30 also submitted an improvement plan to the education ministry.

“The drug scandal was committed on top of the malicious tackle issue,” a first-year female student said. “It can’t be helped if it is said that the team was not well managed.”

She said she hopes real change will come with the resignations at the top.

“I hope it will get rid of the bad image soon,” she said.

A fourth-year female student, 21, said she knows several players on the team, and that they posted pictures on social networking sites as usual even while the drug scandal was unfolding.

“It is a wonder the club wasn’t shut down before,” she said. “I wonder if they really felt any responsibility about the issues and if a lack of morality allowed the incidents to continue.”

Several team members on Nov. 29 submitted signatures and a written request to the university, urging it to reverse the disbandment decision, according to sources.

They also asked for an opportunity to discuss the issues with university officials.

“The majority of players are innocent, so the decision and conclusion to shut down the team is unjustified,” the request said. “It is unacceptable to deprive them of an environment in which they can play football.”

A first-year student who belongs to the university’s triathlon club said he received an email from the school that apologized for the series of problems.

“I feel sorry for the football team members who were not involved in the incident,” the student said.

He also said the shutdown of the football team could affect elementary, junior high and high schools affiliated with Nihon University.

The triathlon student said he graduated from one of the Nichidai-affiliated high schools.

“There must be some high school seniors who have already decided to go to Nichidai,” he said. “It must be difficult for them to change paths now.”

A vice principal of a private high school that has a football team said, “Frankly, I am baffled (by the disbandment decision).”

Third-year students at the high school are in the process of deciding which universities to apply to, and they are practicing application interviews with faculty members, the vice principal said.

“Why did they make the decision at this time of year?” the vice principal said. “The students are thinking, ‘I’m going for it.’ But the team they want to join is disappearing.”

The vice principal said Nihon University has not formally informed the high school about the decision to abolish the football team.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do. I am at a loss,” the vice principal said.

(This article was written by Chika Yamamoto, Masayuki Takashima, Hajime Ueno, Yohei Kobayakawa, Yoshika Uematsu and Issei Sakakibara.)