Correction appendedAn intramural basketball team has been removed from the league following an altercation in which one of its players allegedly choked an opponent during the second half of a game last Thursday, Assistant Director of Athletics Tom Rand said Monday.

Rand said he decided to remove the Wetmen from the league and reschedule their opponents' games after this incident involving team member Ben L. '08, as well as a prior one in which another player on the team was ejected in the first game of the season. Rand also said an intramural football team that included eight of the Wetmen's nine members repeatedly argued with officials during the flag football season.

According to witnesses, L., a member of the Wetmen, strangled Noah Seifman '08, a member of the Burnt Out Bowens, after Seifman blocked one of L.'s shots. After referees and members of both teams were able to separate L. from Seifman, he was immediately ejected from the game. L. walked outside the Shapiro Gymnasium without further incident.

Members of the Wetmen, however, said that prior to the altercation, L. and Seifman exchanged words and pushed each other following their attempts to retrieve a loose ball. They said that Seifman was standing over L. after the loose ball went out of bounds, which they said may have provoked physical contact.

"That kind of behavior is obviously not tolerated and has no place in the intramural sports program here at Brandeis," Rand said.

Late Monday night, however, Rand partially reconsidered his decision, allowing the seven other members of the Wetmen who did not have a prior record of altercations to compete on other intramural teams if they wished.

L. said in a phone interview Monday that he apologized to Seifman, his teammates and the officials, both in person and through e-mail.

"I felt terrible about it, and I still do," he said. "I was out of control, and I apologized to everyone involved in it. I still feel bad about it."

Seifman confirmed that the incident occured, but he declined further comment. Teammate Ross Felder '08 said the Burnt Out Bowens were considering petitioning the University Board on Student Conduct for further disciplinary action, but Seifman did not take such action on his own.

With about 5 1/2 minutes elapsed in the second half, the Wetmen had the ball. Seifman, playing in his first game of the season, gave his team a surprising lead and brought strong inside play, having blocked numerous Wetmen shots throughout the game.

According to witnesses, Seifman blocked one of L.'s shot attempts out of bounds, and L. responded by shoving Seifman. Seifman took issue with L.'s action and did not move out of the way, and after words were exchanged, L. strangled Seifman with both hands. Members of the Wetmen, however, recalled that as Seifman stood over L., L. responded by pushing him away.

"I remember thinking this was unprecedented in [intramural] sports," Felder said. "I've never seen anything this serious in Brandeis [intramural] sports, and it happened so quickly."

As L. gripped Seifman around the throat, Seifman did not raise his arms or attempt to defend himself. The incident did not hinder Seifman's performance during the rest of the game, and he sank two technical foul free throws immediately following the confrontation.

Rand said he first received a report about the incident late last Thursday night, and met with L. and Seifman separately last Friday. He then considered the Wetmen's past incidents, as well as the ideals of the program, before making his initial decision.

"All the intramural rules are geared toward safety," Rand said. "Basketball, in general, is not supposed to be a contact sport, though obviously there will be some."

Felder said he was most impressed by Seifman's temperament.

"The main issue is how [Seifman] handled himself," Felder said. "He didn't retaliate, and handled the situation really well given the circumstances."

L. admitted he was disappointed with how the game was going but said that does not excuse his actions. After talking to Seifman in person, he sent an e-mail to each member of the Burnt Out Bowens as well as his teammates.

"Everyone plays intramurals to have fun, and I apologized for ruining that for them, disrupting the game and doing something that should never be done," L. said.

Editor's note: Following the initial incident, there was no disciplinary action taken against L. An incident report was compiled by the Department of Athletics. The last name of the offending student has been redacted.

Correction: In its original version, the article said the Wetmen was a team of varsity baseball players. The team had no varsity baseball team members among its nine players.