Surveys and Reports on Attacks Against Officials
Assault on Basketball Referees: A Statewide Survey by Rainey and Duggan, Journal of Sport Behavior, March 1998, p 113
Assaults and Batteries on Basketball Referees: The Northern California Survey by Collins
Officials Under Assault: Update 2002, NASO Special Report
Need tools for officiating safety? Click here for the National Association of Sports Officials' Strong Safety Program.
2024 Attacks
July 15, 2024 - Wilson, NC - Cherryville Little League Coach Suspended After Fight With Umpire At State Tournament, reported by Daniel Pierce, WNCT - TV9 (Greenville, NC).
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June 16, 2024 - Milton, GA - Veteran Umpire Assaulted By Coach During Youth Championship Baseball Game, reported by Tyler Fingert, Fox Sports TV 5 Atlanta, June 20, 2024.
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May 7, 2024 - Miamisburg, OH - Police Called To Fight Between Parents, Umpires Following Miamisburg Softball Game, reported by Kristen Spicker, Dayton Daily News.
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March 4, 2024 - Berks, PA - Player Charged With Hitting Referee Over Foul Call In a Soccer Game in Berks, reported by Steven Henshaw, The Redding Eagle (Redding, PA).
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February 12, 2024 - Huntington, W.VA - YMCA Ref Physically Assaulted During Huntington Youth Hoops Tournament, Officials Say, reported by WCHS-TV.
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2023 Attacks
October 12, 2023 - Bangor, MI - HS Soccer Referee Attacked In Michigan. See MHSAA Investigates Incident At Bangor vs. Bloomingdale Soccer Game, reported by Samantha May, WWMT - Channel 3 (Michigan).
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June 8, 2023 - Taunton, MA - Taunton Little League Umpires Won't Return For Playoffs After Being Threatened, reported by Mike Sullivan, WBZ TV (CBS) Boston.
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June 2, 2023 - Budapest - Man Arrested After Referee Anthony Taylor Attacked by Roma Fans At Airport, reported by Simon Collings, London Evening--Standard
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May 14, 2023 - Alabama - Youth Baseball Coach Loses His Mind, Tackles Umpire In Completely Unhinged Scene, reported by Jacob Elsey, Brobible.
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April 29, 2023 - Manheim, PA - Fight Between Coach, Referee During Basketball Game At Spooky Nook Under Police Investigation, reported by Nebiy Esayas, Penn Live, May 3, 2023, See Also, Police Are Investigating After Video Of Fight Between Coach, Ref at Spooky Nook Sports Goes Viral, reported by Keith Schweigert, Fox 43 TV (Lancaster County, PA), May 3, 2023.
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April 19, 2023 - Columbus, OH - Assault Charges Filed Against Man Accused In Umpire Attack At Columbus Softball Game, reported by Eric Halperin, NBC4 - Columbus, April 25, 2023.
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April 18, 2023 - Kissimmee, FL - Video Captures Parent Sucker-Punching Umpire At Florida Baseball Game, Deputies Say, reported by Samantha Dunne, Local 10 - TV (Pembroke Park, FL), May 4, 2023; and See Florida Dad Slugs 63-Year-Old Umpire At High School Game In Shocking Video, reported by Selim Algar, New York Post, May 4, 2023.
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March 3, 2023 - Canada - Alleged Assault of Adult Hockey Referee Under Investigation, Global News.
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February 26, 2023 - Charleston, SC - Brawl Breaks Out Between Parents and Referee At Girls' Youth Basketball Game, reported by Natalie Spala, ABC News (Charleston), March 6, 2023. The reader should note that the headline of this story is misleading, and makes it appear as if the referee and the parents are engaged in mutual combat. In truth, the parents appear to have left the stands and attacked the referee.
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January 8, 2023 - Kendall, FL - New Video Released Of Attack On Soccer Referee In Kendall, reported by Roy Ramos, Local10.com TV (Miami), January 25, 2023; See Also Soccer Player Arrested After Video Shows Him Attacking Referee In Kendall: Police, reported by Brian Hamacher, NBC TV Miami, January 24, 2023.
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2022 Attacks
December 28, 2022 - Massachusetts Referee Recovering After Being Punched By Student-Athlete In Cohasset, WCVB TV, Boston, December 29, 2022. The alleged assailant was from Boston's Excel High School. See Also, Referee Assaulted By Excel High Player At Cohasset High Basketball Game, Police Say, reported by Grace Gilson, Boston Globe, December 28, 2022.
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August 1, 2022 - Argentina - A Soccer Player Was Arrested On The Field After Sucker-Punching a Woman Ref Over Minor Foul Call, MSN.com.
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July 16, 2022 - Edmond, OK - This is a most unusual incident. The official was attacked, but responded in full - to say the least. See Another Basketbrawl: Referee Knocks Out Man, reported by Gary Lee, Ozark Radio News. Click here and here for video
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June 22, 2022 - Cecil Township, PA - Hockey Player Remorseful After Hitting Referee In the Face With a Hockey Stick, reported by Sheldon Ingram, WTAE - TV, Pittsburgh, PA., June 24, 2022.
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June 16, 2022 - San Salvador, El Salvador - Salvadoran players and spectators beat an official to death. See Watch Referee Jose Arnoldo Amaya Dead After Being Attacked By Players and Fans of El Salvador, Video Viral, reported by Ranjit Panigrahy, The Sports Grail.
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June 4, 2022 - Branchburg, NJ - N.J. Youth Baseball Umpire Violently Attacked By Coach, Needed Surgery For Broken Jaw, reported by Matthew Stanmyre, NJ.com, June 14, 2022. The attack came three months after Stanmyre wrote a lengthy report on poor sportsmanship at New Jersey athletic contests. See It's Never Been Uglier on N.J. Sports Fields As Bad Behavior Explodes, March 29, 2022.
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April 9, 2022 - Laurel, MS - 'Mother of The Year' Arrested After Allegedly Slugging Female Youth Umpire, reported by Nick Mordowanec, Newsweek, April 13, 2022.
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February 21, 2022 - Foxboro, MA - Junior Hockey Player Gets Life Ban After Punching Ref In Face, reported by Tim Fitzsimons, NBCNews.com
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January 4, 2022 - Johnson City, TN - State Representative Jeremy Faison Apologizes After Trying To 'Pants' Referee, reported by Slater Teague, WJHL-TV. Yes. This odd attack on the official was caught on video. Click here to see.
2021 Attacks
December 3, 2021 - Lincoln County, MS - Parents Banned From Games After Friday Incident, reported by Brett Campbell, Brookhaven (MS) Daily Leader, December 8, 2021. The Daily Leader reports that this incident involved an official having an on-court incident and then being hit by an object thrown from the stands.
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2020 Attacks
December 3, 2020 - Edinburg, TX - High School Referee Fred Gracia Victim of Blindside Attack by Player. Edinburg High School Player Facing Assault Charge For Knocking Over Ref; Team Removed From Texas Football Playoffs, reported ESPN.com, December 4, 2020. For local coverage, see Bittersweet: Bobcats beat Bears for 6A playoff berth, lose star defender, reported by Andrew McCulloch, McAllen Monitor, December 3, 2020. The school administration withdrew their team from the playoffs after the attack. See Edinburg High forfeits playoff spot following ugly on-field incident, reported by Andrew McCulloch, McAllen Monitor, December 4, 2020. The high school governing body then suspended the player for the remainder of the year. See Texas football player banned from state high school sports after attacking referee, reported by Tyler Calvaruso, USA Today High School Sports, December 17, 2020.
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August 11, 2020 - Russia - 'Disgusting' Attack From Ex-Russia Captain Leaves Referee In Hospital, reported by Andrew Reid, Yahoo Sports, Australia.
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2019 Attacks
November 5, 2019 - Norwell, MA - Martha's Vineyard Players Shove Official After Norwell Loss, reported by Matt Feld, Boston Herald, November 8, 2019.
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November 2, 2019 - Orting, WA - Orting Police Investigate Fight At Youth Football Game, reported by Aj Janavel, Fox 13 News Seattle, November 7, 2019.
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May 31, 2019 - Murfreesboro, TN - TSSAA Severely Punishes West TN Baseball Team After Head Coach's Dirt-Kicking Tantrum, WJHL TV 11 (Johnson City, TN).
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May 22, 2019 - Venice - Female Referee Suffers Disgusting Sexist Abuse As Player, 14, Exposes Himself To Her In Italy, reported by Joe Miles, London Sun, May 29, 2019 (click here for New York Post reprint - Kid Exposes Himself To Taunt Female Referee ), See Also, Teenager In Italy Is Banned For Insulting A Female Referee, reported by Mat Davis, BBC Sport, May 30, 2019
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April 6, 2019 - Paducah, KY - Michigan Youth Basketball Coach Arrested on Charges of Assaulting Kentucky Referee, reported by Jason Frakes, Louisville Courier Journal, April 7, 2019.
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March 27, 2019 - Argentina - Referee Rosana Paz Has "Serious Burn' After Fan Throws Boiling Hot Water At Her, reported by Christopher Simpson, BleacherReport.com
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March 2, 2019 - Brookfield, WI - Video: Referee Punched In The Head During Soccer Game Brawl In Brookfield, reported by Tori Bokios, CBS58 News, Milwaukee, March 6, 2019. There's also video of this incident at WISN, Waukesha, WI.
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2018 Attacks
November 5, 2018 - Conway, SC - Youth Football Coach Shoves 70 year-old Ref. See Why A Football Coach Was Charged After An Horry County Middle School Football Game, reported by Alex Lang, Myrtle Beach on-line.
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September 1, 2018 – Monroe, LA – Umpire Who Says He Was Assaulted By A Coach At Monroe Youth Softball Game Speaks Out, reported by Connor Ingalls, myarklamiss.com, September 5, 2018.
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July 21, 2018 - Haw River, NC - Haw River Umpire Punched; Gaston Man Charged, Burlington (NC) Times-News, July 23, 2018. Former police officer Wayne Luckadoo of Dallas, NC, was charged with assaulting an umpire in a slow pitch adult league softball game.
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July 9, 2018 - Mountville, PA - Sterback, Donald J. - One Count of Harassment Section 2709 A4. West Hempfield (PA) Township Police Department Arrest Reports.
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July 9, 2018 - Evansville, IN - Youth Baseball coach Charged With Battery After Altercation With Umpire, reported by Kyle Sokeland, Evansville Courier and Press. The headline makes it sound like two people engaged in an "altercation." Not so. This was an attack on an umpire - plain and simple. Worse, this wasn't even a game. It was a charity game called early because of time. Gregory Van Bibber, an assistant coach, allegedly taunted the umpire throughout the event, and then allegedly attacked the official when the game was called. This was not an altercation. It was an attack on an umpire.
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June 26, 2018 - Kingman, AZ - Little League Parent Banned From Southside Park After Bumping Umpire, KD Miner (Kingman).
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May 20, 2018 - North London - Players, Coaches and Fans Beat Official At End of Turkish Community Football Federation Match. See Worst Assault On British Soil - Referee Attacked By Mob As Violence Mars Sunday League, reported by Joshua Nevett, London Daily Star, May 24, 2018. Click here for video.
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February 19, 2018 - Charlotte, NC - 4th Grade Basketball Coach Accused of Attacking Referees, reported by Alex Shabad, WCNC TV.
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January 26, 2018 - Peebles, OH - Referee Speaks After Being Assaulted At Game, reported by Ken Brown, Fox-TV 19, Cincinnati, OH. A junior high school basketball player's father allegedly hit the referee twice in this attack.
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January 22, 2018 - Wichita, KS - Police Captain Allegedly Shoves 17-Year Old Female Official. See Wichita Police Captain Charged With Battery In Youth Basketball Court Incident, reported by Tim Potter, The Wichita Eagle.
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January 20, 2018 - Orlando, FL - Father accused of attacking referee during wrestling match, reported by Bob Hazen, WESH Channel 2 (Orlando, FL), January 22, 2018.
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January 4, 2018 - Raytown, MO - Fans disagreed with a high school referee’s calls. Then one punched him in the face, reported by Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, January 9, 2018.
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January 3, 2018 - Waukesha, WI - UW-Rock County basketball coach, son charged in post-game attack on referee, reported by Bruce Vielmetti, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, January 31, 2018.
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2017 Attacks
December 26, 2017 - Murrysville, PA - Dek Hockey Referee Allegedly Punched By Player In Murrysville, Police Say, reported by Renatta Signorini, Trib Live (Pennsylvania), January 11, 2018. The player, Bradley Richard Jones, was convicted and sentenced in May, 2018. The worst part of this incident is that the referee wasn't in a location where he should have been punched by anybody. The referees sat in the penalty box during an out of control bench clearing brawl. As the teams exited the rink, Jones sucker punched the referee in the face, and then tried to hit another official.
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December 24, 2017 - Mexico - Another Soccer Referee Is Killed By A Player. Mexican Referee Dies In Hospital After Being Attacked By Player He Sent Off, Sports Illustrated, January 1, 2018.
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December 1, 2017 - Meridian, ID - After Throwing Coat At Referee, Mountain View Basketball Parent Banned For One Year, reported by Michael Lycklama, Idaho Statesman, January 8, 2018.
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October 24, 2017 - Paris - Teenage French footballer handed 30-year ban for punching referee, reported by Rory Mulholland, The London Telegraph (Paris Bureau).
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September 9, 2017 - Oklahoma City, OK - “The kids can’t unsee it,” Brawl breaks out between Oklahoma basketball coach, referee, reported by Lance West, KFOR - Oklahoma News Channel 4, September 11, 2017. The headline doesn't do this one justice. The coach got upset, and hit the referee over the head with a clipboard. That's an attack on the referee. A spectator intervened. That spectator was inadvertently hit by the referee. It's not clear if the referee was simply protecting himself from an attack or whether the referee was involved in what most would call a fight that resulted in him accidentally hitting the spectator.
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September 7, 2017 - United Kingdom - Head's Gone: Shocking Moment Rugby Player Mark Meafua Hits Referee As He Was About To Be Carded That Saw Him Banned For Ten Years, reported by John Hutchinson, The Sun. A 19-year old junior rugby player loses it when carded and punches an 18-year old ref. The player will pay a steep price for launching his blow against the ref as he has received a ten year ban from rugby.
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June 18, 2017 - Panama City, FL - Former Braves Catcher Johnny Estrada Arrested for Shoving Umpire, reported by Alec McQuade, WXIA TV - Atlanta, GA. Estrada allegedly shoved the umpire when he was coaching at a youth tournament in Florida.
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May 10, 2017 - Union County, SC - Ejected Upstate Coach Threatens Umpire: ‘Hit me and I will kill you’, Report Says, reported by WYFF Channel 4 - Greenville, SC, May 11, 2017. This is an incident where James Means, a coach, got ejected. Then, Means's fiancee allegedly charged the field and hit an umpire. Means then returned to the field and allegedly threatened the umpire.
March 11, 2017 – Mexico - Mexican Soccer Refs Go On Strike After Repeated Threats From Players, reported by Ryan Rosenblatt of Fox Sports, New York Post, March 11, 2017. This strike caused cancellations in the Mexican Liga MX. The Liga MX took the strike seriously, issued yearlong suspensions of the players who threatened the officials and professional soccer resumed in Mexico. See After Round 10 Was Suspended By a Referee Strike, This Week's Copa MX Matches and The Weekend Games Will Go Ahead as Scheduled, Goal.com, March 13, 2017.
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February 25, 2017 – Binghamton, NY – College Hockey Player Bolts Penalty Box in Wild Attack on Ref, New York Post Wire Report, February 27, 2017. Erie Community College freshman Brandon Day was arrested and charged with assault according to local media reports.
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February 4, 2017 - Amherst, NY - Video: Will East Hockey Player Pushes On-Ice Official, reported by Miguel Rodriguez, The Buffalo News, February 5, 2017.
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January 10, 2017 - Baltimore, MD - City of Baltimore Is Prepared To Pay Referee Who Was Assaulted In a City- Sponsored Youth Basketball Game. See Youth Basketball Referee Seeks $30,000 Settlement For Assault In Baltimore, reported by Yvonne Wenger, Baltimore Sun.
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2016 Attacks
November 6, 2016 - Mexico - Soccer Player Being Sought In Death of Ref After Red Card, reported by John Hickey, San Jose Mercury News, Nov. 9, 2016. It's happened again. This time in Mexico. Some player who can't control himself lashed out in anger after getting a red card and killed the ref, who wasn't prepared for the punch. Remember, we've seen this before. If you don't remember, just scroll down to the 2013 attacks on refs and see what happened to poor Ricardo Portillo.
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September 10, 2016 - Ventura, CA - Player Arrested In Assault On Ref During Ventura Football Game reported by Joe Curley, Ventura County Star, September 11, 2016. This incident was captured on film - one can clearly see a Mt. SAC player punch the official. Bernard Schimer, the alleged puncher, received a 5 year suspension, but plans to appeal on the ground that the punch was accidental. See Football Player Suspended Five Years For Hitting Referee reported by Beth Farnsworth, KEYT - KCOY - KKFX TV, Ventura, CA., September 12, 2016.
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June 19, 2016 - Sydney Australia - Teen Referee's Eye Socket, Jaw Fractured As Out of Control Parent Attacks During Junior Rugby League Match in Sydney, reported by Peter Fegan, Channel 7 News, Sydney.
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June 4, 2016 - Monee, IL - Umpire says Monee Mayor Jay Farquhar broke his jaw. According to The Daily Southtown, the Mayor says he defended himself "by throwing up my right arm." See Mayor Suspended From Baseball Group After Ump Says He Broke His Jaw by Erin Gallagher, The Daily Southtown, June 8, 2016. Also see, Ump: Mayor Punched Me, Broke My Jaw Over Call In Game of 7 and 8-Year Olds by Bob Cook, Forbes.com, June 9, 2016.
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May 22, 2016 - Northville Township, MI - Cops: Parent Assaults 16-Year-Old Referee at Northville Soccer Game reported by Robert Allen, Detroit Free Press, May 23, 2016.
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April 28, 2016 - Detroit, MI - Dad May Face Criminal Charges For Alleged Assault on Umpire After Daughter's Softball Game, WXYZ TV Detroit, MI.
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February 21, 2016 - San Francisco, CA - SF Soccer Referee Coldcocked By Player He Penalized by Kale Williams, San Francisco Chronicle.
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February 7, 2016 -Howell, N.J. - Parents Attack Referees After High School Hockey Game Ends In Controversy by Chris Rotolo and Amanda Oglesby, Asbury Park Press, February 8, 2016 (reprinted in USA Today); and see Refs' Boycott Narrowly Avoided After Howell Hockey Fight by Matthew Stanmyre, NJ.com, February 11, 2016.
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February 4, 2016 - Argyle, N.Y. - Police: Fan Attacked Referee At Girls' Basketball Game by Don Lehman, Argyle (N.Y.) Post-Star.
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Jan. 14, 2016 - Miami, FL - Florida Christian High Players and Fans Beat Up A Soccer Ref In Miami by Trevor Bach, Miami New Times, January 15, 2016.
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Jan. 8, 2016 – Pikes County Kentucky. This middle school brawl was caught on film. It’s a doozy of a brawl, but what’s more interesting are the people allegedly involved. The fight allegedly involves a coach who pulled his team off the court, leading to his father, who is a county magistrate, having an alleged brawl with one of the referees, leading to allegations that the referee kicked the magistrate. The video doesn’t show the referee kicking anybody, but it does show the referee being tackled by a spectator. See Middle School Basketball Coach Resigns For Game Brawl Caught On Video, Fox News 17 (Pikes County, Ky), January 17, 2016.
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Jan. 6, 2016 - Langhorne, PA - High School Coach on Leave After Apparently Head Butting Ref, Associated Press.
2015 Attacks
October 15, 2015 – Norvelt, Pennsylvania – In an ugly reflection of our times, a youth football league cancelled its season after someone left gun shells bearing the names of league administrators and referees at the stadium gates. See Youth Football Season Canceled Because of Bullet Shell Threats, ABC News.
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October 3, 2015 - Kissimmee, FL - Lakeland Dad Punches Ref, Football Season Cancelled, reported by Michael Shingleton, Fox-TV 13, October 9, 2015.
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September 27, 2015 - McHenry, IL - McHenry Man Punched Referee Who Ejected Him From Soccer Game, Police Say, ABC 7 TV, Chicago, September 29, 2015.
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September 27, 2015 - Stuart, FL - Softball Coach Charged After Allegedly Head-Butting Ump, reported by Dave Brousseau, South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
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September 4, 2015 - San Antonio, TX - High School Football Players Spear Ref From Behind Per Coach's Instruction. In a nationally publicized story, one player speared the official, Robert Watts, from behind and the other jumped on him when he was down. The school initially tried to excuse - or explain - the attack by saying the official made racist statements. But, there's no evidence of that. This was just a case of a losing team losing their cool and attacking the officials. Later, we found out that an assistant coach was behind the attack. See Videos of San Antonio Football Players Investigated by Police by Elisha Fieldstadt, NBC News, San Antonio, September 8, 2015; Former John Jay Coach Pleads Guilty In Assault on Blindsided Official; Charges Against Players To Come, USA Today Sports, December 14, 2015.
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July 3, 2015 - Jupiter, FL - 16 Year Old Charged After Punching Umpire Following Strikeout, reported by Bill DiPaolo, Palm Beach Post, July 21, 2015.
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July 1, 2015 - Brewer, ME - Brewer Little League Coach Arrested At Game, reported by Larry Mahoney, Bangor Daily News, July 2, 2015. The coach, Jarrod Williams, was arrested for allegedly threatening the umpires.
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June 13, 2015 - Saugerties, N.Y. – Softball Player Assaulted Umpire After Game, Saugerties Police Charge, Hudson Valley Daily Freeman, June 13, 2015. The alleged attacker was an adult rec softball player, angry over a call.
May 12, 2015 - Johns Creek, GA - Chattahoochee high school player sucker punches referee. See Cops: High School Soccer Player "Sucker Punched" Referee, reported by Tyler Estep, Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Andrew Gray, the player at issue, later entered into a plea agreement under which he would pay $2,000 in restitution, perform community service and speak to students and officials about why his actions were wrong. The plea agreement was reported in the October 2015 issue of Referee Magazine.
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2014 Attacks
December 22, 2014 - Poughkeepsie, N.Y. - Poughkeepsie Removes Basketball Assistant After Incident, reported by Mike Benischek, Poughkeepsie Journal.
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St. Petersburg, Florida - November 3, 2014 - Attacked Official Wins $275,000 in Lawsuit. See Youth Football Official, Attacked By Parents, Settles for $275,000. KLAQ - Radio News, (citing St. Petersburg Herald Tribune), November 3, 2014. For coverage of the initial attack, see Referee Plans To Keep Officiating by Halle Stockton, St. Petersburg Herald-Tribune, September 2, 2011.
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Broward, FL - November 1, 2014 - Official Sucker Punched, Suffers Broken Jaw At Youth Football Game. This was a particularly ugly incident. The losing coach tried to get at the referee, yelling "This how you going to do us." The coach was held back, but a number of spectators charged the field, attacking one of the officials. The incident was captured on video, and posted on-line, leading to a number of negative comments from people who either sympathized with the attackers or found the attack to be amusing. Among the lines were a meme posted above the officiating crews' photo that said, "Scared Refs Be Like 'We Not Refs. We Work At Foot Locker.'" See Boys' Football Game Turns Into Adult Brawl, Injuring Referee in Broward by Andrea Torres, Local 10 Television, November 5, 2014.
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Switzerland - November 1, 2014 - Swiss League Gives Amateur Footballer A 50-Year Ban For Kicking Ball in Referee's Face by Brooks Peck, yahoo sports blog. I note that the title underplays the incident a bit. The player kicked the ball in the referee's face, and then squirted the referee with water.
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Zagreb, Croatia - October 21, 2014 - Croatian Boxer Viciously Attacks Referee At European Youth Championships, The Guardian (England).
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Columbia, MO - July 28, 2014 - Man Accused of Assaulting Teenage Umpire at Show-Me Games, Columbia Tribune.
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Livonia, MI – June 29, 2014 - Adult League Soccer Player Kills Official In Michigan. John Bieniewicz, a highly respected soccer official, was killed by an adult league soccer player. Reports indicate that Bieniewicz was punched while he was reaching for a red card to issue to an ejected player. In short, an angry ejected player sucker punched Bieniewicz. Baseel Abdul-Amir Saad has been charged in this incident. This tragic incident occurred a little more than a year after Utah official Ricardo Portillo was killed by an angry youth soccer player. See Referee Dies After Being Punched At Soccer Match by Mike Householder, AP Wire Service on ABC News, June 30, 2014; Soccer Referee Declared Dead After Being Punched In Game by Elisha Anderson, USA Today, July 1, 2014.
Barry Mano, the head of the National Association of Sports Officials, says, “It will happen again.” See ‘It Will Happen Again’ Says Sports Official On Violent Death of Soccer Referee by Khalil AlHajal, MichiganLive.com, July 3, 2014. For more from Barry Mano, click here for the National Association of Sports Officials’ (NASO) Press Release on this incident.
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Golden Gate, FL – May 14, 2014 – Adult soccer player head butts ref – and then slaps him for good measure. See Soccer Player Attacks Referee During Golden Gate Game by Bryan Anderson, ABC 7, May 14, 2014. The attacked official, Sergio Pomajambo, was knocked out. He was luckier than John Bieniewicz, a Michigan soccer official, who was killed in June, 2014, by an angry adult soccer player.
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Cyprus - February 28, 2014 - - In Cyprus, kill the ref was taken literally when some unknown, unhappy person bombed a soccer referee's car. See Cyprus FA Postpones Weekend Matches After Bomb Damages Referee's Car, Associated Press, Feb. 28, 2014.
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Greensburg, PA – January 29, 2014 - WPIAL Suspends Basketball Coach After Alleged Incident With Referee, reported by CBS TV, Pittsburgh, PA – January 29, 2014. This controversial incident involves Greensburg Central Catholic Basketball Coach, Greg Bisignani allegedly bumping referee Pat Tucci. Bisignani concedes verbally criticizing Tucci, but claims any contact was inadvertent.
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2013 Attacks
Baldwin, La – November 5, 2013. West St. Mary High School football players attack referee at end of game. Click here for Chris Rosa’s story in the Vermillion Today (a Louisiana newspaper). West St. Mary’s paid a heavy toll for this attack. Click here for the extensive penalties imposed on the school, coaches, and players in the aftermath of this attack. The players also will face criminal charges.
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Salem, OR - October 30, 2013 - An Oregon School For The Deaf football player made physical contact with an official after a contest. The school was fined $100, and the student was put on probation for the remainder of his tenure in high school. There are no media reports, but one can find information on this matter in the Summary of the Oregon School Activities Association's December 2, 2013 Executive Committee meeting.
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West Covina, CA – October 5, 2013 - Poor sportsmanship with intent to injure. We’ve heard of this before, but this time it’s caught on film. A fast pitch softball team that was unhappy with the umpiring designs a play in which the catcher jumps out of the way, and lets a pitch hit the umpire. In this case, the umpire ejected the pitcher, catcher, and coach and then called the game. See Softball Team Organizes Play To Intentionally Hit Umpire in Face with Pitch, reporting and video by Larry Brown Sports, December 5, 2013.
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Santa Clarita, CA - August 8, 2013 - Football Coach Gets Ten Days For Battery On Teen Referee by Jim Holt, Santa Clarita Valley Signal, August 8, 2013. Aherjon Palmer was convicted under California’s law that criminalizes batteries on sports officials. He attacked a 17-year-old youth sports official who was working a flag football game in a league for 12-year-olds. Palmer was quite appropriately barred from coaching for two years.
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Lynn, MA - July 5, 2013 - Men's League Soccer Ref Badly Beaten After Giving Out Red Card in Massachusetts Men's League Game. Are officials safe anywhere? It doesn't seem that way in 2013. This attack occurred less than three months after soccer official Ricardo Portillo was killed after giving out a red card in a Utah soccer game. For more on this attack, see Lynn Referee Attacked After Giving Out Red Card, WHDH TV (Boston), July 5, 2013.
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Newark, N.J. - June 12, 2013 - Justice Delayed, But Not Denied. Two years ago, Little League umpire, Robert Waters, was attacked by Little League coach Henry Milstrey and sixteen youths following a youth baseball game. Milstrey's beef? He thought the game should have been called due to darkness. Yes, this is another case of somebody involved in youth sports beating up an official because he disagreed with the official's decision. Well, it took two years, but Milstrey finally pleaded guilty to third-degree aggravated assault. Justice was served - but at a high price. Waters suffered a fractured skull, lost two teeth, and suffered hearing loss in the attack according to news reports. See Baseball Coach Pleads To Attacking Little League Umpire, UPI, June 13, 2013; Newark Little League Coach Pleads Guilty To Assaulting Umpire Two Days Into Jury Deliberations by Julia Terruso, Newark Star-Ledger, June 12, 2013.
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Berkeley Township, N.J. - May 1, 2013 - Little League Coach Arrested For Assaulting Teen Umpire. 17-year old kids umpiring Little League games get low pay, and a lot of abuse. They probably accept this as part of the job. What they don't expect is for a grown man to slap them because he disagreed with a call. Yet, that's exactly what one teenage umpire got when he had the bad fortune of umpiring a game coached by Thomas Murphy, a grown man and veteran coach. Murphy has been arrested, and charged with assault for allegedly slapping the teenage umpire following his ejection from a game. See N.J. Little League Coach Accused of Assaulting Teen Umpire, CBS Channel 2, New York, May 3, 2013.
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Salt Lake City, Utah - April 27, 2013 – 17 Year-Old Soccer Player Kills Ref With Sucker Punch Over Yellow Card. So it comes to this, again. A player in a Salt Lake City rec-league soccer game attacked referee Ricardo Portillo from behind after receiving a yellow card. The players’ sucker punch placed Portillo in a coma with severe brain swelling. Portillo died a week after the attack. See Police Report Details Attack By Player That Left Utah Soccer Referee In Coma, by Bob Mims, Salt Lake Tribune, May 3, 2013; and Utah Soccer Referee Ricardo Portillo Dies Week After Being Punched, by Jennifer Dobner, Salt Lake City Tribune, May 4, 2013. For a televised report, see Soccer Ref Punched Into Coma By Teen Player, ABC News, May 3, 2013. Click here for Jim Thompson of the Positive Coaching Alliance's comments on Ricardo Portillo's death. For comments from Barry Mano of the National Association of Sports Officials, see A Whistle, A Punch, and A Soccer Referee Is Dead, by Sam Borden, New York Times, May 7, 2013.
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Ripon, WI - April 15, 2013 - Coach Fired After His Brother Attacks Ump. Carroll University of Wisconsin baseball coach Derek Hassell was fired after an incident in which his brother allegedly assaulted an umpire during a Carroll contest against Wisconsin's Ripon College. This unsporting act also was an ill timed act. Ripon's athletic director wrote down the license plate number of the attacker's car, which was traced back to - you guessed it - Hassell's brother. It's not clear if Hassell's termination linked to the alleged assault, but one thing is clear, sometimes it just doesn't pay to be related to someone who's mean, dumb, and unlucky. See Charges Filed In Umpire Attack At RC by Ian Stepleton, Ripon Press, May 22, 2013.
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Brazil, April 2013 - In April, 2013, we had an incident that seems surreal, but, unfortunately, it actually happened. A Brazilian soccer referee took to carrying a knife for protection in what appears to be the Brazilian equivalent of a semipro soccer game. At the end of the game, a player approached the official. The official pulled out a knife and stabbed the player, who later died. The crowd reacted by doing exactly what the official feared; they attacked him, and they didn’t stop attacking him until they beheaded him. Pretty ugly – maybe the ugliest sports violence story I’ve ever heard of. Click here for details.
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March 17, 2013 - Saginaw, MI - Man Pushes Wrestling Ref, Gets Arrested. See Brawl At Wrestling Meet At SVSU Leads To Arrest, WNEM Channel 5, March 21, 2013.
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Detroit, MI - February 7, 2013 - Bottle Thrown On Court, Ref Assaulted in Low Moment For Detroit’s Academy of Southfield. The game took place at Winan’s Performing Arts High School. The FoxSports news report quotes a police officer who says that the game was cancelled. It was likely either postponed or deemed a forfeit win for Winan’s, but there’s no information on that. The quoted police officer says that nobody was hit by the bottle that was thrown on the court, but the referee was “pushed around.” See Ref Assaulted During Prep Game in Detroit reported by Dave Dye, FoxSports Detroit, February 8, 2013.
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Columbus, Ohio, June 17, 2012 - Umpire Hit By Spectator – News Reporter Doesn’t Quite Get It. We live in a sports society where spectators at youth and high school contests often make sports officials’ lives a living hell. They intimidate, bully, badger, and, quite often, beat up sports officials to the point that numerous states have had to pass laws criminalizing batteries upon sports officials.
The general public and the average news reporter don’t know that much about the youth sports environment. Also, the average reporter has to be fair to both sides, doesn’t she? So, it’s disappointing, but not terribly surprising, to see Columbus Dispatch reporter, Rebecca McKinsey bending over backward to be fair and truly botching a story on an umpire who was attacked by a spectator.
McKinsey leads her story by quoting a spectator who claims that the umpires chest bumped a spectator. McKinsey then goes on to quote one of the umpires as saying that the spectator hit one of the umpires.
Now, anybody with the remotest familiarity with youth sports – or sports in general – can see the problem here. McKinsey is treating the parent and the umpires as equals involved in mutual combat. But, they're not equals. The spectator belongs in the stand. He has no right to be on the field. By not asking why the parent was on the field, McKinsey omits a pretty salient detail and changes her story from angry parent storms field to parents and umpires have a dispute that leads to a fight.
A person familiar with youth sports and with attacks on umpires can see what probably happened here. A bunch of fans got ticked off because they didn’t like the umpires’ calls. One fan got up in an umpire’s face to tell him about it. We don’t know what the umpire did because all we have is a fan saying that the umpire bumped the spectator. We don’t know if the umpire was mad and lashed out, or, most likely, stood his ground in the face of the angry spectator. What we do know is that another loony fan appears to have decided to tell off the umpires, and when telling off didn’t suffice he hit the umpire. This happens a lot as readers of our bad acts and officials page can attest.
Anyway, McKinsey has to be fair now, doesn’t she? So, she reports that the team told the league, “the names of the parents involved.” Now, you will note that the quote has more than one parent involved, but McKinsey never tells us what the other parents did (the articles’ headline refers to “parents” fighting, but every reporter will tell you that the headline isn’t part of their story, and that they don’t generally write the headline). McKinsey does note that there were six of these parents and that they got suspensions ranging from two weeks to the entire season. While McKinsey never tells us what these people did, anybody who works in youth sports knows that youth leagues don’t generally suspend people for this amount of time for mere vocal criticism. So, we can assume (because McKinsey doesn’t tell us) that six people played some role in jumping the umpires, but McKinsey won’t say that because, well, there may be two sides to the story. What a crock… but all in the interest of fair reporting. McKinsey even goes back to the spectator who claimed the umpire chest bumped a fan to get a quote that the six parents shouldn't be suspended. Let's see, six people jump an umpire and McKinsey treats a spectator who dismisses the incident as unworthy of a penalty as a serious witness for her story? Is this serious? Well, yes it is. It's in a big city newspaper.
Officials are attacked a lot at the youth level. They really do have it pretty bad. Yes, all a reporter is obligated to do is get the quotes so they can support their story, and McKinsey does that. But when a reporter doesn’t know the context in which umpires work and youth sports is played, the reporter might get the quotes right but still miss the story. So, let me sum it all up. A bunch of idiot spectators raised hell and played some role in yet another attack on an umpire, and a reporter covered it as a brawl where both parties bear mutual responsibility. So, instead of a headline that says, “Umpires Attacked At Youth Game” we have a story that runs under the headline, Adult Brawl Ends Youth Game: Team Suspended After Parents, Umpires Fight by Rebecca McKinsey, Columbus Dispatch, June 17, 2012.
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Pre-2013 Attacks
October 5, 2013 - West Covina, CA - Softball Pitcher Intentionally Hits Umpire With Pitch. Click here for video. Click here for more details.
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Sturgeon Bay, WI - July 29, 1988 - Little League Umpire Takes Four Stitches In Attack by Coach/Parent. See Where Children Play, Grown-Ups Often Brawl by Bill Dedman, New York Times, July 29, 1998.
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Philadelphia, PA - January 10, 1997 - A Sudden Swing At A Referee Rocks A Sport And A City by Jere Longman, New York Times, Jan. 10, 1997.
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St. Louis, MO - February 1994 - St. Louis Youth Basketball Coach Charles Taylor Knocks Referee's Teeth Out In Brutal Attack. For an editorial on this incident, see The Quest For Winning: It's Out of Focus From Top To Bottom by William C. Rhoden, New York Times, February 27, 1994.
