As if Sacramento State’s heart-wrenching loss to Montana State University on Saturday wasn’t bad enough, Hornet head coach John Volek has been suspended for his actions and comments directed towards the game’s officials after the game.

Big Sky Commissioner Douglass Fullerton suspended Volek Tuesday morning for the Hornets game at the University of Montana on Saturday.

Montana is currently the No. 1-ranked Div. I-AA football team in the country.

According to Fullerton, Volek broke a Big Sky rule, which says, “(coaches) can not publically criticize officials.”

Fullerton said that Volek broke the rule when he stated, “We won the game,” and, “They took it away from us.”

The commissioner’s decision was never swayed by the fact that Volek never directly said the word “officials.”

“We don’t get into the semantics about him saying officials. Everybody knows what he meant,” Fullerton said.

According to Fullerton, Volek also opened the official’s locker room after the game and starting yelling at the game officials.

The Hornet coach was upset after officials said Bobcat quarterback Travis Lulay got his snap off with one second remaining on the game clock. Volek felt the clock had expired and the game should have ended in a Hornet victory.

“We don’t think it is a controversy,” Fullerton said. “The unfortunate thing is that you would like to see the film. The film only shows the field, not the clock.”

Fullerton added that Sacramento State has not informed him of any video of the play which contains with both the snap and the clock.

“The back judge said he used proper mechanics, which is watching the clock go to zero, and then looking down (at the snap),” Fullerton said. “The other back judges also felt confident in the call.”

With Volek’s suspension, assistant coach Bob Shook will take over on the sidelines for Volek, according to a Nov. 6 article in the Sacramento Bee.

Volek will be allowed to travel with the team to Montana and will be able to conduct practices until the Hornets take the field on Saturday. The Hornet coach will not be allowed on the field or in the coaches’ booth during the game.

Following a Monday conversation with Hornet Athletic Director Terry Wanless, Fullerton gave the Hornet Athletic Department 24 hours to give a rebuttal to the suspension.