Rebecca Droke, Post-Gazette Shane Phillips -- Suspended for first round of the PIAA basketball playoffs. Click photo for larger image.

The father of a Mt. Lebanon High School basketball player contends a strongly worded e-mail sent by his son to coach Joey David has resulted in a one-game suspension, while other members of the team were not suspended for attending a party where alcohol was served.

Ollie Phillips, the father of starting junior guard and co-captain Shane Phillips, provided the Post-Gazette a copy of an e-mail his son sent Feb. 25 to David, addressing the overall direction of the basketball program and an underage drinking party the night before. According to sources, several basketball players attended the party and one was cited by police for underage drinking.

A press report from the Mt. Lebanon Police Department confirmed 10 citations for underage drinking were issued at 9:47 p.m. Feb. 24 at an address on Haverford Circle in the municipality.

Five 15-year-old females, two 16-year-old males, a 17-year-old male, a 16-year-old female and a 15-year-old male were cited after officers responded to a noise complaint at the condominium community and discovered minors in possession of alcohol.

According to Ollie Phillips, his son did not attend the party. Sources, though, have confirmed that the player cited at the party has not been suspended from the team.

David confirmed Phillips has been suspended for one game but would not otherwise comment.

Mt. Lebanon athletic director John Grogan refused comment, and Ollie Phillips would not allow his son to speak to the Post-Gazette, instead answering questions on his son's behalf.

Shane Phillips will serve his suspension Saturday for the Blue Devils' first-round PIAA Class AAAA playoff game against Albert Gallatin

The younger Phillips authored the e-mail to David the day after Mt. Lebanon was eliminated from the WPIAL playoffs with a 20-point loss to Bethel Park.

In it, Shane Phillips wrote: "I was recently informed about a party that took place Saturday night. The party was busted by police and several kids were cited. MAYBE [sic] of interest to you is that almost all of the varsity basketball team was there. ..."

In the e-mail, Shane Phillips also wrote: "Everyone is asking what happened against Bethel? Well, you can bull---- an excuse until you are blue in the face, but the truth is we just played with no heart."

The e-mail, which David did not respond to, contained five expletives.

At the next official team function after the e-mail was sent, a practice Feb. 28, David approached Shane Phillips before the workout and informed him that he was suspended and to go home.

Since then, Shane Phillips has been practicing with the team but has been assured he will not play Saturday.

Nonetheless, Ollie Phillips supports his son's decision to send the e-mail.

"I am proud as hell of Shane after reading the e-mail," he said. "He stepped in and did the right thing. In my estimation, this is a situation where he acted as a leader, not in an insubordinate fashion."

Ollie Phillips made it clear that if David felt his son's e-mail was a violation of team rules, then Shane Phillips should have been suspended. But Ollie Phillips also felt that players who attended the party, and particularly the one cited by the police, should have been made to pay a penalty.

"I am with the coaches in regard to Shane. If they feel his e-mail crossed the line, they are well within their right to suspend him, and I can live with that," the father said. "But, if you are going to suspend a kid for [sending] an e-mail to a coach, how in the world do you not suspend ... kids for going to a drinking party and one of them for getting arrested there?

"Even if it is just that they are suspended by not starting the game, or being suspended for a quarter or something. By not doing anything to the other kids, who I feel did something far worse, Joey David is a hypocrite."

Ollie Phillips said David has asked Shane to sit on the bench, in uniform, at the game on Saturday even though he won't be allowed to participate.

"That will not happen," the elder Phillips said. "He'll sit there in a coat and tie and be supportive, but he will not be paraded out there in a uniform if he's not going to play. Joey David will not embarrass my son."