DMN follow-up article on ref ejection

Greenblood94 · January 29, 2004

Referee's alleged profanity creates a stir

Parents stunned by retort during game; officials will investigate

By DAVID McNABB / The Dallas Morning News

MESQUITE – Teresa Carey was back on the fourth row of the middle section of the Mesquite Poteet gym Wednesday night. She and other parents and fans of Poteet's girls basketball team still were buzzing about the profanity they say a referee directed at them during a game against Mesquite Horn on Tuesday.

"He turned around and said it very distinctly," said Carey, whose daughter, Triauna, plays for Poteet. "And all the little kids went, 'Oooohh.' "

Poteet fans then complained to an on-site school administrator, which in turn led to referee Floyd Woods being escorted from the gym and the game suspended at halftime until Wednesday.

Woods, a veteran referee who has called college games as well, did not return phone messages from The News, and on two separate visits by a News reporter, persons at Woods' home said he was not there.

Steve Mankin, supervisor for the Dallas Basketball Officials Association, said he was investigating the incident but couldn't comment.

Several Poteet parents repeated their story Wednesday that Woods turned toward the stands and used a profanity as a Horn player was set to shoot a free throw before halftime of Tuesday's game. The parents said there had been some yelling at the officials but nothing of a personal nature.

"He wasn't attacked," Carey said. "Nobody called him a name."

Said Velma Wommack, whose daughter, Jessica, plays for Poteet: "Everyone's jaw dropped. We all turned around to look at each other like, 'Did he just say that?' "

Mesquite school district officials issued a statement Wednesday confirming that the administrator – Poteet assistant principal David Medina – had acted on the parents' complaints of "inappropriate exchange between the game official, fans and students." The statement said the decision to dismiss the referee was to ensure the integrity of the game.

Medina said he couldn't comment because of school policy. Elvenn Richardson, Woods' referee partner Tuesday, said he couldn't comment because of DBOA rules.

The game resumed Wednesday with two new referees and was completed without incident. Poteet, which led 22-10 when the game was suspended, won, 46-24.

Mankin, the officials' supervisor, said because of the incident's unusual nature, he didn't know the exact process that would be followed. He said he'll interview and request written reports from all officials involved.

Several people connected with officiating and game management said incidents involving referees are typically handled differently.

Paul Galvan, a longtime official and former supervisor with the Southwest Conference who is now Fort Worth ISD athletic director, said Woods probably should not have been ejected.

Galvan said he believed the usual procedure would be for the school administrator to make a complaint to the Texas Association of Sporting Officials, of which every referee must be a member.

"They could have gone to the referee and said they don't want to hear any profanity," Galvan said, "and then make a report."

TASO assistant director Steven Ellinger said if a school administrator – routinely assigned to monitor games – doesn't hear something personally, "it might not be a good thing for fans to think they can go say this and get rid of the official."

Ellinger said if the security officers had intervened first, then it would have been a legal matter and out of the hands of school officials and referees. He said there have been complaints made against officials for inappropriate language in the past, and that TASO has the power to ban or suspend officials for such language.

Ellinger said it was basic TASO policy that officials shouldn't interact with fans. "It's just not a win situation," Ellinger said.

Longtime coaches and officials said it's the first time they had heard of a referee being ejected.

"I have heard officials and fans get into it," Duncanville boys basketball coach Phil McNeely said. "But I've never seen the official go."

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Here's my $.02, from the perspective of someone who sits at the scorer's table at two varsity basketball games each week, and has heard his share of referee/coach exchanges:

If the situation had been reversed, and a player, coach or spectator had used profanity at a referee in the same manner that Mr. Woods allegedly did, that person would have been tossed from the game. They may have given just a technical foul if a coach or player directed the profanity to another player or coach or even themselves, but if it was directed at the ref, that person is gone, period. Why then does the same standard not apply to the referees, as Mr. Galvan suggests? Using profanity in ANY circumstance is NEVER the right thing to do in a setting like that, by anyone.

As far as Mr. Ellinger's assessment that "it might not be a good thing for fans to think they can go say this and get rid of the official," I highly doubt that Mr. Medina, the administrator who made the decision to eject the referee, would have acted in the manner he did unless, 1) he had questioned the ref himself about his alleged comments, and other game officials (the clock operator, scorekeeper, the coaches, etc.) who would have heard the alleged comments to verify the parent's complaints, and 2) he felt that allowing the referee to continue would have led to possible further incidents later in the contest. Who knows, one of the fathers who heard the alleged comments might have come out of the stands to personally confront the referee (before you doubt that, I once had to flag down a policeman at a game to assist in a situation where an angry parent was trying to climb over a railing to confront a scoreboard operator because he had not counted a free throw the parent's son had scored for about ten seconds).

You just can't go to the ref, admonish him and then "make a report" in a situation like that, in my opinion. A report is going to be written anyway...even Mr. Ellinger admits that "it's just not a win situation" when referees interact with fans. While it is disappointing to have to take such action, I believe the administrator acted in best interests of all concerned.

I applaud the administrator's decision, if the referee did, in fact, use profanity in the manner described. It sent a message that incidents like that would not be tolerated at Mesquite ISD events.

Edited January 29, 2004 by Greenblood94

Texas Stranger · January 29, 2004

2 questions:

1. What if he DIDN'T ?

2. Does anyone truly believe this was unprovoked ? (not meant as an excuse because it isn't....just wanted to point out where the source of the problem lies).

KPFC Sports Dept. · January 29, 2004

The official should never interact with the fans. If they were that ugly to him, he should have went to the coach of the home team, told him the problem, and asked him to have the administrator(s) present escort the fans out. If he did or did not use profanity, he opened himself up to the criticism and allegations by not handling it properly.

Ellinger said it was basic TASO policy that officials shouldn't interact with fans. "It's just not a win situation," Ellinger said.

Greenblood94 · January 29, 2004

2 questions:
1. What if he DIDN'T ?
2. Does anyone truly believe this was unprovoked ? (not meant as an excuse because it isn't....just wanted to point out where the source of the problem lies).

1) If WHO didn't WHAT?...if the ref didn't use the profane remark as charged by the fans, then that will come out in the investigation...if Mr. Galvan didn't properly investigate before ejecting the ref, that will come out also. In both of those cases, Mr. Galvan would have acted too harshly, and should be reprimanded by school district officials.

Since I wasn't there, I don't know what the atmosphere in the gym was like in the aftermath of the argument between the ref and the fans, or if the fans' allegations were corroborated by other game officials. Again, MAYBE Mr. Galvan was trying to avoid further incidents later in the game, or even during the halftime period (IF the profanity was indeed uttered). I just wanted to present that possibility for people to think about.

2) I agree with KPFC.

Edited January 29, 2004 by Greenblood94