In all my years of participating in football, I’ve never seen anything like this. Trending on the web is this story of the Sarasota Gators, a team that plays in the MFFC Conference, and a disgusting fight that ensued because of a supposed “bad call”. A referee was attacked by what appeared to be parents, coaches and.. a child! The youth football athlete swarmed in, full speed, and tackled the referee as the melee escalated. So I ask the question- what are these coaches teaching their kids? Where’s the sportsmanship?.. the respect?.. the discipline?
As the article above states, assaulting a youth football referee in Florida is considered a felony so I suspect action will be taken against those involved. I can’t say how the child should be disciplined, but kicking him off the team is probably the worst result. This child stands to benefit greatly from a solid football program. When coaches aren’t doing their job and themselves aren’t acting with dignity, situations like this result. Referees, parents and coaches should review the video of this occurrence as it is the lowest of the low.
