It's good to see New Mexico soccer player Elizabeth Lambert going public about her bad behavior. Her thoughts appeared in an article in the New York Times on Wednesday.

She said she watched the video of her thuggery and thought, "That isn't me."

Lambert, who lost control during a BYU-UNM soccer game on Nov. 5, has been vilified in the viral video world from Provo to Pamplona as evil incarnate, blamed for everything from the poor economy to the threatened extinction of the Kihansi spray toad.

What should we do with her?

"Ban her from soccer!" shouts the electronic (and often anonymous) court of public opinion. "Throw her out of college!" "Don't let her work with children!"

As usual, the internet is missing the real story, substituting volume and mob ethics for human response.

Let me make myself clear: Elizabeth Lambert was wrong. She acted like nothing more than a hockey goon during the Mountain West Conference semifinals and should have gotten a red card. She should be punished.

But there's enough blame to go around. Unfortunately, it seems those who should be stepping up to protect this 20-year-old student-athlete are not.

The adults and organizations that claim to represent and guide her have failed miserably.

Let's start with New Mexico head coach Kit Vela, who is charged with developing young Elizabeth's talents. How can a coach with nine years experience at the college level not be aware of one of her players losing it on the field of play? Most sports fans have observed a coach (from pee wee to high school to college to pro) pulling a player from a game because they started to lose control. Why didn't this happen on Nov. 5?

This is what we get from Vela, in a released statement: "Liz is a quality student-athlete, but in this instance her actions clearly crossed the line of fair play and good sportsmanship."

Oh, now you notice?

Vela needs to step up, admit her own failure publicly in this debacle, and accept whatever sanctions are appropriate.

In all fairness, she's probably been silenced by the University of New Mexico and told not to make any more comments on the matter.

In the New Mexico press release, UNM Vice-President for Athletics Paul Krebs said, "Liz's conduct on the field against BYU was completely inappropriate. There is no way to defend her actions."

So as to not tarnish the hallowed name of New Mexico athletics, let's distance ourselves from Lambert and make sure everyone knows she acted completely on her own? No, you can't defend her, but how about stepping up and vowing to help her recover from a serious mistake?

Everyone knows the name of Elizabeth Lambert, but does anyone know the referee's name in this circus? It's Joe Pimentel. He, as well as assistant referees Mark Sackett and Bill Debatty and alternate official Albert Montalvo, did nothing but watch Lambert's attacks on BYU players.

Not that the Cougars are completely innocent here, either. BYU was just as physical as New Mexico in this match, but Lambert's retaliations were too far over the top.

Here's the most ridiculous aspect of this adventure: If Pimental and/or his crew are sanctioned, no one will know about it. The Mountain West Conference is conducting an internal review and if the officials from this game are slapped on the wrist or given a stern talking to, it won't be made public.

That's unbelievable. There are more than three million hits on the Lambert video on YouTube, but any information on punishment for Pimental and his crew must be kept secret?

Whenever the sports media covers a league or NCAA tournament event, the moderators at the post-game news conferences insist on calling the players "student-athletes," so much so that by the end of the weekend most writers feel like throwing a sharp pen at the next person who uses the term.

So what about protecting one of your precious student-athletes? She gets pinned to the world's bulletin board as the adults and organizations involved hide behind the curtain?

For shame.

I don't know Elizabeth Lambert personally. Like most of you, I only know her brutal behavior against BYU. But put yourself in her shoes. Take your absolute worst moment or moments and put them on YouTube and how would that paint your character?

All I feel for Elizabeth Lambert now is sadness. She's willing to accept the consequences of her actions, but the authority figures around her are tripping over themselves getting out of the way.

• Daily Herald Sports Editor Darnell Dickson can be reached at 801-344-2555 or by e-mail at ddickson@heraldextra.com.