What would you do?

[Smitty]

Originally posted by davidw
Above it all, I'm hoping the guy doesn't really mean exactly what he's saying. That we really don't have someone like that teaching our young people. But I'm old enough and seen enough and heard and read enough that I know everything is possible, and that we unfortunately do have these types out there. So maybe I am taking the harder stance.

Whether he meant it or not is irrelevant. If any one of those kids on his team takes that advice seriously, and we as officials don't act appropriately in this situation, we have only ourselves to blame. The coach is an authority figure for these kids. When we hear a coach clearly tell his players to injure the other team, that is way outside the bounds of "spirit of the game". If you let this behavior go unpunished, then the kids on his team get the message that we are condoning this behavior. This official was "lucky" enough to hear the coach say it. What happens the next game when nobody hears him say it and it happens? The kid will get thrown out, some other kid maybe ends up in the hospital, but the coach will go unpunished. The moment I hear a coach tell his kids to injure the other team purposely, he's gone. I send the message to those kids on his team that it is not going to be tolerated and it is not happening on my watch.