Time for weirdness

[Mark Padgett]

Another one for the list: had an 8th grade boys coach in our local kids rec league slap a player across the face during a game! He had been yelling at the kid but, apparently, the kid wasn't reacting properly out on the court. When he subs out, the coach approaches him yelling, then slaps him. I was in the stands observing as a Board member and I had been prepared to tell the officials to get him to stop yelling when all this happened. It seems he thought it would be OK since it was his kid. I told him that it didn't matter that it was his son, but during the game, the kid was one of "our" players and the league would not allow that kind of behavior regardless of whose kid it was.

I had the officials eject him from the gym (the kid stayed because his uncle was the AC and could watch him) and the coach was banned for life from coaching by our Board. He has two other young kids he wanted to coach. Too bad.