Yes...it happened to me and my partner some years ago. (2 person crew in WA)
Varsity game...big schools, 4A....big rival...radio game.
Visiting team losing by 30...visiting coach had history as a hothead. (Ex- UW player turned part-time coach...big guy...had kicked a few official's room doors after losses in his time...generally abusive...I believe he had been reprimanded, by his school, before.)
Anyway, about the end of the 3rd Quarter...this guy starts *****ing about calls. I ignored him about once. He stood up on his next complaint as I was running by...WHACK! He said we were screwing him...I told him, "Coach, we aren't 30 points bad".
He said, "What you'd say...WHAT DID YOU SAY!?"...I ignored him.
He said, "You can't talk to me that way"!...and preceded to call his team off the floor. He walked off to the locker room, ranting the whole way.
The Home crowd is loving it...the radio guy looks confused...the Home coach has a smug smile on his face...and the visiting crowd doesn't know what to think.
My partner and I get together at mid-court and calmly discuss our options.
My partner wanted to forfeit the game right then and there. I wanted to wait for a bit. (Could have easily walked then...and coach would have really been hung out to dry...probably fired, as later told)
Well, the Principal of the visiting school was there...and asked us to come over to the scorer's table. He begged us to allow the team back on the floor...he asked if we would just give him a minute to talk to the coach.
I said sure...my partner wasn't so sure. But, we ended up letting the Principal go to the the locker room and talk to the coach and his team.
To make a long story a little shorter...the principal got the coach and team to walk back on to the floor, amongst a raucous crowd. As the smirking coach was walking back on the floor...I WHACKED him with his second T and pointed to the door. His assistants had to hold him back...he seemed a little upset.
His assistant coach took over and actually did a pretty good job...he got them within 20 in a losing effort.
SIDE NOTES:
As my partner and I were being escorted, by the local police to our cars...the local sports beat writer came up and asked me for a minute. I told him we weren't allowed to talk to the media...he used my name and said "... you might want to reply to this." "Reply to what", I asked him.
The writer went on to say that he had spoken to the ejected visiting coach...and the coach had told him that I said, "you are losing by 30...and I'll make sure you lose by more if you don't sit down and shut up"!
I was flabbergasted...all I could tell him was, "that is absolutely false"!
I phoned my assignor, as soon as I got to the car, and told him everything. He said don't worry about it (he was pretty laid back) it will probably all blow over in a few days. I wrote my report...and that was pretty much it.
I did hear that the school showed the WIAA the game tape...because the coach had cried favoritism...and from what my assignor said, they could only come up with two questionable traveling calls for the whole game.
My assignor put me on this teams games the following year and many years to come. Never had another problem with the big guy. He has recently got out of coaching...and from what I heard, if we hadn't of let his team return, that fateful night...he may have been ousted much sooner.
Soooo, for better or for worse...we may have done the guy a favor.
