Conflict of Interest?

[wisref2]

I agree - if you have to think about it - avoid the situation. Just turned down a game this week. The public school from my city (where I am well-known) played the cross-town rival private school (8 miles away) and they wanted me to work the varsity game. It's a huge rivalry, neighbors and cousins playing against each other. That's a no-win situation for me so I declined.

I have worked non-conference varsity football games in which the son of one of my crew was playing - but only because both coaches knew it and have requested our crew for their game for the last 8 years.

[jeffpea]

If I were an assignor, I would NEVER put you on a game in C or D. Not sure how I would know about the other situations listed, but I would expect you to inform me that these situations exist. You may work that game better than anyone else, but the mere perception that there is a conflict of interest is enough to make me adjust the assignment. Why would I want to deal with that potential problem when I can simply make life easier for everyone and avoid it? It is a no win situation for everyone, so just avoid it.

IMHO, if an assignor ever put you on a game where C or D occurs, he's not assigning the game - he just looking for warm bodies....


A. When coach is a friend?
B. The High School you attended?
C. Your kids games?
D. Your brother is the coach?
E. Your bosses kids playing?
F. Girlfriends kids playing?

[Andy]

I'm going to preface this by saying that it applies to school level games and above. Rec league is specifically not included.

For me C & D are absolutes - no way, no how.

All of the rest are case-by-case decisions.

One of the other things that should be considered is not a defacto conflict, but the possible appearance of a conflict. If you have to make a tough call, several tough calls, or a call near the end of a close game that go in favor of a coach or team with a potential percieved conflict, there is a possibility that your relationship would be brought up and your integrity questioned. Just one more thing to consider as part of accepting an assignment.

[jeffpea]

Originally Posted by msavakinas

C brings up a big question... if DeMarcus Nelson's (Duke) dad can do his games (He worked him once last year and actually Nelson ended up fouling out but duke won the game) why couldnt' I do one of my kids?

I would find it very hard to believe that DeMarcus Nelson's father was allowed to officiate his game...by the way - DeMarcus is from Elk Grove, CA and his father (Ron Nelson) is a pastor...per the Duke website.

Which game did his father work last year? Can't seem to find it via boxscores...

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by msavakinas

gonzaga... it was the one at Madison Square Garden. And actually it might not've been Nelson's dad... it was one of the duke player's dads. I thought it was Nelson but it doesn't look like it from the box score. I remember specifically (I'm a huge gonzaga fan) the announcers putting emphasis on it more than once. I honestly thought it was Nelson but I could be wrong.

The officials were Ted Valentine, Mike Eades and Tom Lopes. None of them have a son at Duke.

Fanboys!

[Adam]

Originally Posted by msavakinas

hmm... i'm dead serious though. maybe it was another big gonzaga game opponent? I thought that it was the duke game. Actually I'm positive because the announcers continued to say that a duke player had a dad that was the referee. But I guess it could've been another game... I could've swore it was duke

Or, the announcers could have been wrong. :gasp:

[TheOracle]

This happens very frequently in smaller areas. There was a situation last year I heard about where an official called a winner-to-state/loser-out playoff game where his nephew was a player at his alma mater. By some coincidence, that team won the game by a couple of points, and that official made a few questionable calls in favor of his nephew's team down the stretch. This made him look terrible personally, and made his association look poor. The sad thing is that I am sure that the district and state will consider this when future playoff and tournament allocations are made, but that means more for us!

Conflicts of interest should be avoided at all times. Films never lie, and perceptions are reality, fair or not. If in doubt, don't take the assignment. There are plenty of others!

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by TheOracle

Conflicts of interest should be avoided at all times. Films never lie, and perceptions are reality, fair or not. If in doubt, don't take the assignment. There are plenty of others!

I have a question for you. You have a team where the players are one color and the opposing team is another color. Should officials of either color be able to work the game? What do you do when no one is available that is not of same race of both teams?
The reason I ask, is because this is a constant issue where I live or fans make issues out of that fact often. Or fans and even administrators try to make connections with things that are not really connections based only on the color of the official's working the game. How far are you taking avoidance of a conflict? You have to have a line in the sand or you will constantly be. If I remember correctly this was a major issue in the movie Friday Night Lights and how the crew was picked to work the game.

You will never avoid every situation where someone thinks there is a conflict. All appearances of conflicts are not reasonable. Your situation involved a family member, which is why I think most of us can agree that you do not want to work games with relatives as the participants.

Peace

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by loners4me

When do you turn down games due to a conflict of interest?

A. When coach is a friend?
B. The High School you attended?
C. Your kids games?
D. Your brother is the coach?
E. Your bosses kids playing?
F. Girlfriends kids playing?

Im sure some we've all ran into some of these scenarios

A...depends....acquaintance that you see in sports settings or Friend that you have over to dinner with your family.
B. Timeframe dependant....5-10 years out...OK.
C-F...Yes.


In any metro area there should be enough other games to be had that no officials should ever have to worry about being in one of these situations.

[Terrapins Fan]

Originally Posted by loners4me

When do you turn down games due to a conflict of interest?

A. When coach is a friend?
B. The High School you attended?
C. Your kids games?
D. Your brother is the coach?
E. Your bosses kids playing?
F. Girlfriends kids playing?

Im sure some we've all ran into some of these scenarios

Personally I don't like to officiate a certain catholic high school team where the priest is the coach. Not only do I listen to him every Sunday, he hears my confessions, problems, ect..and gives me these looks when he doesn't like the call. Almost like death rays......and I feel them more from him than anybody else

A- Done that. Also refereed my bosses games. No difference in the way I officiate.

B- I went to 4 local high schools , We have 15 total schools in our league. If I didn't do games where I went to school, I wouldn't be refereeing.

C- I've done that in 2 sports. Same thing, fair game, my son hates when I referee, but he knows I am going to be fair. BTW, he is 10.

D- No brothers

E- No. But I would.

F- Married 13 years.

I have always refereed straight up. I fel no pressure from anyone.

[26 Year Gap]

Originally Posted by loners4me

When do you turn down games due to a conflict of interest?

A. When coach is a friend? no
B. The High School you attended?I have done games at both HS I attended
C. Your kids games?yes
D. Your brother is the coach?If I had one, yes.
E. Your bosses kids playing?Probably
F. Girlfriends kids playing?My wife would kill me if I had one to begin with, so it would not be an issue.

Im sure some we've all ran into some of these scenarios

Personally I don't like to officiate a certain catholic high school team where the priest is the coach. Not only do I listen to him every Sunday, he hears my confessions, problems, ect..and gives me these looks when he doesn't like the call. Almost like death rays......and I feel them more from him than anybody else

< >

[coach41]

A little late on this discussion but you guys might find this interesting:

My group (within the past 2 or 3 years) initiated a Conflict of Interest form that we had to fill out. Among the questions were:

1. What High School did you go to and how long ago did you graduate? (Most officials in our group are from the area we serve)

2. Do you have any sons/daughters/relatives attending any of the schools serviced?

3. A few other personal questions about other conflicts of interest.

The end result was that any official who had graduated high school in the area less than 15 years ago could not work those school's games. Besides this and the other predictable "kids going to the school, etc, etc", I don't know what other conflicts have come up that have prevented officials from working certain games.

I'm not 100% sure why this came up. However, a few years ago, there had been rumors flying around that there was some errors assigning officials to a rivalry game where all the officials were alumni of one of the schools playing.

While I don't know if any of this is true, it makes sense if our group wants to avoid future conflicts of interest.

Like some of you said though, lots of officials I talk to have no tied to their former high school. For myself, I would not want to work my old high school's boys games since I watch them at games when I can (head coach's first year was my senior year).

If I could, I would work the girls games since I don't know the players or coaches of the girls program.