A Fond Farewell

[Smitty]

Originally Posted by deecee

hard to imagine that we are in a profession where expression ones opinion and openly discussing what is going on is frowned upon. what are we protecting when we are concerned when what we think and feel can come back and bite us in the a$$? just my thinking but if this is the petty state of officiating then quite frankly i am happy where i am.

Why is it so odd to think that a D1 official needs to be held to a certain standard of behavior? Officials are expected to be unbiased. Assignors need to be certain that an official is not going to let their opinions be construed in any way as to give any participant an unfair advantage. We all know this, and so it shouldn't be considered "hard to imagine" or "petty" in any way. It is the foundation of what we do. That's why we are not allowed to talk to the press. We are protecting the basic ethics of what we have chosen to do. If you prefer to do something where your opinion matters, you should choose another vocation.