Comments made online could mean less than favorable consequences for Missouri Southern track and field.

Men’s head track and field coach Tom Rutledge said Thursday afternoon (Jan. 29) that he “heard through the grapevine,” that Southern track and field athletes might not be welcome at the University of Arkansas after assistant track and field Coach Jamie Tallman made “inappropriate comments” on a thrower’s blog about the management of a recent U of A track event.

“You don’t criticize someone else publicly in our profession,” Rutledge said.

Tallman has been suspended pending resolution of the issue.

“Jamie Tallman has given us some great years and done a great job for us, but there are just certain things you just don’t do,” Rutledge said. “We pride ourselves on being professionals.”

While Rutledge said he couldn’t give any official comments on the future of Southern’s relationship with the U of A, as he has not heard back from Razorbacks coaches, he hopes that the schools will continue to work well together.

“It is a sad situation, I do have plenty of friends down there and I’m hoping we can work this out and that they will forgive us,” he said. “I love this school, and I love my players and athletes and I hate to see anyone punished, Jamie Tallman being one of them, he has done a great job for us.”

Coaches from the University of Arkansas were not available for comment.