Drunken Referree

[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.