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This past weekend I was the WH for a flag football game. For most of the season we worked with the same 3 man crew, but for some reason the league commish decided to switch things up for the last 2 games. For the very last game I get a 4 man crew including a brand new 17 year old kid who was in his first year. All game this guy blows the whistle and stops plays when he's not supposed to (illegal motions) and doesn't blow it when he needs to (defensive offsides, false starts). By midway in the 3rd quarter both coaches are screaming at me to get him off the field.
This is where things went from bad to extrememly worse and downright threatening to every ref on the field. We always start the game by telling the coaches they are responsible for their sideline conduct, including the conduct of assistant coaches, players and parents (we have no bleachers or stands so parents stand right next to the field). The coach on the side where this kid was reffing simply says to him hey can I get one flag for pushing in the back. Next thing I know the kid throws a flag on the caoch and issues a warning to him, now the caoch is going nuts on the sideline. The next thing I know my umpire throws a flag and says that's 2 coach, I am headed to the sideline. By this time the scene is getting really bad as parents are coming out onto the field. I blow my whistle and yell for my refs to come to me. Then another flag is thrown for unsportsmanlike conduct on the parents. I get to the head coach and am trying to tell him talk to me, I am the the WH, don't talk to my refs. He tells me don't touch me, tears away from me and goes after my umpire, gets in his face and says get the f*** back out on the field and try to do your f***ing job. I throw my flag and call the game at this point. OMG you would have thought I had just cancelled Christmas because I am instantly surrounded by parents shouting profanities at me and saying how horrible the game was reffed. I really thought things were going to get physical.
I know this is really long and drawn out, but this all occured in the span of about 2 minutes. I really think this new kid had no business being out there in the first place and needed to grow a little thicker skin before throwing the initial flag, but could I have removed him? All of this really could have been avoided if the coach would have simply talked to me instead of going nuts on the sideline.
Have any of you had this experience and what were your results? I hope to gain some lessons learned from some of the more experienced guys on the board.
Thanks
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