Drunken Referree

[Nevadaref]

Originally Posted by Reffing Rev.

Here is my question, assuming you didn't pick up your partner's incapacity in pregame, at what point would you halt the game and tell him to get his backside into the locker room. And save yourself all the assignor comments, we don't have assignors in rural Nebraska, schools schedule officials directly.

I would stay the heck out of it. I didn't hire him. He is not my responsibility. Worry about yourself.

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by Nevadaref

I would stay the heck out of it. I didn't hire him. He is not my responsibility. Worry about yourself.

I'm not working the game with a drunk partner. Knowingly doing so is an invitation for a lawsuit if someone does get hurt. I might win such a suit but it will cost me to do so.

[just another ref]

Originally Posted by Camron Rust

I'm not working the game with a drunk partner. Knowingly doing so is an invitation for a lawsuit if someone does get hurt. I might win such a suit but it will cost me to do so.

How is this any different from working with a partner who is otherwise incompetent? What would be the charges in such a lawsuit?

[Nevadaref]

Originally Posted by Camron Rust

I'm not working the game with a drunk partner. Knowingly doing so is an invitation for a lawsuit if someone does get hurt. I might win such a suit but it will cost me to do so.

And how exactly do you determine that? Do you give him a breathalyzer test? Is he okay at .04, but not .08 or .10?
While I see the difficulty that such a situation poses for you as a partner, I seriously doubt that this is your call to make.
I advise leaving this up to the people who make the regulations for the officials in your area and handle the assignment process, even it that is the school AD.

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by just another ref

How is this any different from working with a partner who is otherwise incompetent? What would be the charges in such a lawsuit?

The assignor knows the abilities of the partner but doesn't/can't know if the partner is drunk. The assignor can't do anything about it. And, if he did know, he pull the person instantly and he'd probably be kicked out of the association.

As for the lawsuit, there wouldn't be charges....it would be a civil lawsuit. Someone getting hurt and finding out the partner is drunk is all it would take for some to sue everyone that may have known. It doesn't have to be a sustainable claim. It would probably get thrown out but it would still cost a lot of money.

Originally Posted by Nevadaref

And how exactly do you determine that? Do you give him a breathalyzer test? Is he okay at .04, but not .08 or .10?
While I see the difficulty that such a situation poses for you as a partner, I seriously doubt that this is your call to make.
I advise leaving this up to the people who make the regulations for the officials in your area and handle the assignment process, even it that is the school AD.

It is the policy of our association that a person not work after drinking. If they are detectably drunk, they're way over .04 and possibly way over .10. Those levels just impair reaction time but, for some people, may not appear drunk to others. I'd bet the person described above was well over the legal limit for driving (given the behavior described).

And it is absolutely my call to make when someone else's actions put me at risk. This is no different than not working in a gym because it has a big puddle of water in the middle of the court. It's not my water and I didn't put it there, but if I know about a risk and ignore it, I can be held liable.

[Nevadaref]

Originally Posted by Camron Rust

It is the policy of our association that a person not work after drinking. If they are detectably drunk, they're way over .04 and possibly way over .10. Those levels just impair reaction time but, for some people, may not appear drunk to others. I'd bet the person described above was well over the legal limit for driving (given the behavior described).

And it is absolutely my call to make when someone else's actions put me at risk. This is no different than not working in a gym because it has a big puddle of water in the middle of the court. It's not my water and I didn't put it there, but if I know about a risk and ignore it, I can be held liable.

If your association has such a policy, then you could contact someone in an authority position with your association, but I serious doubt that you can decide if the other official that he/she is allowed to officiate or not. That's not the call of a partner.

I have no idea what you do in your normal job, but from your statements above, I doubt that you have worked in a union hall. If you get assigned to a job, you go do it and you have no control about who is working around you. Those other people may be on medication, drugs, alcohol, etc., but there are supervisors and safety inspectors to deal with that.
I see this situation as similar.

[ripcord51]

Sorry about that guys. I stayed at happy hour a little too long. I promise to be sober for tonites big rivalry game!!

[tomegun]

Nevada,

Aren't you a lawyer?