Race card played

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

1) Well, that point is completely irrelevant.I'm not arguing that Jim ever said that the comment should be tolerated. I disagree completely with Jim's statement that the comment wasn't racial in nature.

Well it has sounded to me (I will only speak for me now) that you were suggesting that something was extra special or inappropriate about the coach's comments because he called someone a bigot. I find the comment just like many others made about official's integrity it just happen to accuse him of racism.

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

2) I never said that anyone... you, Jim or anyone else...isn't entitled to their own opinion. It is my opinion though, for the record if I haven't previously stated it, that both of your opinions that the "bigot" remark wasn't racially related is just completely ludicrous.

It involves race, so what? That is the crux of this issue in my opinion is that many do not want to be called a racist or a bigot (under any circumstances) and instead of taking the comments in context of the game and the everyday questioning of official’s integrity folks have to be offended that anyone suggest that it was not a big deal.

On the flip side of all of this, when someone suggests something might offend them, then those things are mocked and criticized heavily. Now because someone is called a racist the sky is falling. Just more of the same I guess.

Peace

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

It involves race, so what?

So what?

Well, personally I'm not going to allow any racial, religious, ethnic, etc. comments to be made in any game that I officiate. I don't really care who those comments are coming from either. And I also don't get mad when I hear those types of comments. I didn't fall off a turnip truck, wander into the gym and have someone ask me if I'd like to officiate that night's game. I certainly realize that these comments are gonna be made occasionally; I'd haveta be awful damn naive or just plain stoopid to believe otherwise. But when comments like these are made, I have zero tolerance for them. I just unload the person that made the comments and then write a report to everyone that I can think of. Any further action after that is up to their league/governing body.

Questioning an official's integrity and callling an official a bigot are completely different acts.

Btw, I don't let anybody swear at me either, and that's got nothing to do with anyone questioning my integrity. There's other acts beside racial comments that will earn a quick flagrant "T" from me.

As I said, we disagree.

[Back In The Saddle]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

Questioning an official's integrity and callling an official a bigot are completely different acts.

I disagree. Based on the context the sitch described the assistant coach was very clearly questioning the official's integrity. However, rather than alleging favoritism based on home town, team affiliation, alumni status, nepotism, caving to vocal coach/fans, or one of the more frequently heard accusations, this coach asserted bigotry as the basis for the official's perceived dishonest behavior. Aside from bigotry being more of a hot-button social issue, it is no different than any other affront to one's integrity.