Official Attacked
 

Referee attacked after basketball game | News - Home

This happened at a Houston ISD middle school, a school where I've worked games in the past.

Many times, especially during middle school games, my partners seem to not understand why I make it a point to leave as quickly as possible. It's bad enough I have to go to the table to grab my jacket, but some partners want to stay and chat, change shoes, etc. Protect yourselves out there folks. Keep your awareness heightened and get out of there ASAP.

Time to boycott that school. If the school isn't stepping up, if people aren't saying who is responsible, someone saw it but they aren't saying, then it's time to not have officials there.

It's sad that this happened.

I don't work for that particular chapter anymore but when I did, I swore off middle school games for certain districts. My concern over my personal safety and the apparent disinterest of those schools to ensure it being the major reason.

One more reason I cannot stand working those games anymore. You work with guys that do not have a clue and the fans do not have a clue. I am sure this person's kid will not even remember the outcome in a week and people treat it like they just lost the NBA Finals in a regular season, nothing game.

Peace

Apply for a CCW people... nevermind that happened in TX.

This is why I carry an AK-47 in my bag. :eek:

Oh we have them here, they're just called a CHL instead of a CCW.

Is wondering if that would come up. I just started carrying a .357. I still haven't figured out how to carry comfortably on the court though, and I'm very hesitant to leave it in my bag. Usually I just leave it locked in the car, but that does me no good.

Edit: I just realized that most schools are "gun free zones" and if you're even caught with a weapon on school grounds, you could face some sort of charges.

From the story...

Changing on the floor? Don't they provide a room for that?

You would be surprised. There are many places you have to insist on a changing or private room as they do not seem to understand the inherent problem with not doing so. And you deal with officials (if you read previous threads) that seem to not insist on having a room for anything.

Peace

At a middle school? From my experiences more often "no" than "yes".

Remember the big discussion we had about officials changing in parking lots or coming dressed to games?

That's pretty much how it is around here for middle school games. 99% (SWAG) of officials show up dressed though some do change at the school. They are not usually expecting to have to put us somewhere to change. It's hard enough to get water from some schools.

Don't even think about carrying on a court and don't leave it where it can't be securely locked up. There is an exception in the Federal gun free zone law for CHL/CCW/CWP holders but here in Texas you cannot legally carry in a school building or where a school sponsored activity is in progress. I'd be surprised if OR doesn't have similar laws on the books.

In my experience, very rarely is a room provided that is suitable for changing for JH games.

They do not have a class room somewhere?

Peace

Of course, and I was afraid significant "no"s were the case. I'm pretty sure our association insists on at least that.

I had to give a girls middle school coach his second T after the game ended as we tried to change shoes. "What good is that gonna do?"he wanted to know.
Maybe it will get you a walk down to the principals office tomorrow when he finds out. Now I leave my stuff close to the exit to avoid confrontations like that, sometimes change shoes in the car.

Way 2 take care of biznizz!!!

I don't find a classroom to be suitable for changing.

It beats getting bust in the head while changing on the court, no?

I change at home for JH games so that I only have to worry about my wife. :D

I did not say it was perfect. But even at many high schools they do not have a big enough room for multiple officials and use class rooms to separate officials or give more room. Not ideal, but better than having fans in your face after a contest is close. This happens a lot in football where 5 guys have to be placed and it is hard to move in a cracker box that might be a "locker room" with a very small bathroom.

The point is not what is ideal, but to have a private place to go and change or talk.

Peace

Indeed. I've changed in equipment rooms, music rooms, teacher's lounges, nurse's stations, libraries, you name it. While sinks and showers may be scarce, the schools always provide us with a place to change when our association assigns a game. (Travel and rec games, different story.)

Thats one way of doing it! Personally, I dont want em to know what I'm driving until I leave or God forbid, they follow me to my car.

Houston must be a lot different than Dallas. I have never been to any school in Texas that didn't put me in a coach's office to change in. Even the worst run down Dallas school has a coach's office.

I'm not looking for perfect; I'm looking for something that doesn't wind up with me on a sex offenders list. Your area my be different, but in my area I'm arriving at a JH just as class is dismissing. A classroom is a place you could conceivably be walked in on by a student while in a state of undress.

For my money, it's not worth the risk.

I don't worry about people following me to the car for a couple of reasons:
1) Attacks on officials are usually heat of the moment things. By the time I get to my car, they're going to have cooled off.
2) Provided they don't have a gun or a knife, I'm confident in my self-defense ability.

I'm not saying they wouldn't, only that they usually don't because they aren't asked to.

Well that's on the official then - changing on the court is pretty stupid if there's a room to change in. Plus it's just not something anyone wants to see. In a close heated game, get off the court as soon as it's over.

I don't disagree. I'm not messing around on the court any longer than I absolutely have to. I'm certainly not changing any clothes other than to put my jacket on.

Same holds true for a lopsided game or ANY game for that matter.

Like the officials who like to shake partners hands after the game, while still on the court. Dude, one team & their followers arent going to think we did that great of a job :rolleyes:

I try to hammer this home whenever someone tells me a horror story about being confronted after the horn.

I've already removed my whistle (so someone doesn't grab the whistle and use my lanyard as a weapon -- one of the things I learned in the Earl Strom book -- of course taking my belt off and wrapping it around my fist as a potential weapon doesn't apply now that pants are beltless) and am heading out the nearest exit before anyone can confront me.

This is not about my area. All JHs are not governed by a single body in this state and are literally the wild, wild west of standards from one school to another. There are two JH organizations that run state tournaments, and they dictate their members and what they do with the officials, but that does not apply to every single area in Illinois. This is why I do not work them because most middle schools are not under a state or mostly state organizations where I live and why I have no desire to work these games even if I was mentoring an official. I can mentor them at a HS game.

During HS games the very same thing can happened as I have been put in a girl's locker room with a lot of room and had young girls walk into the room. Or even when we have a secure room had kids run through the room. It really does not matter what where they put you if they do not allow folks to have access. Not sure about you, but most schools close off multiple parts of a school during activities where a school is running.

You do not have to be worried about it, but these things often happen in youth or middle school games. Usually you do not see these things happen at the HS level because most states have a state body that dictates and the consequences are heavier.

Again this is also not about even confrontations. I want a room so I can talk to my partner about situations in the game and cannot easily be heard. I want a chance to unwind briefly after the game. If they give the teams a locker room so they can discuss strategy, not sure why any school cannot provide the same for the officials. Even when we work summer games with multiple tournaments, we try to secure a room that the public does not have access to without trespassing.

Peace

From the article:

"A spokesman for the Houston Independent School District said administrators and coaches were nearby and helped to "minimize" the disruption."

1) They consider this to be a "disruption"??? An assault is nothing more than a disruption???:eek:

2)The nearby coaches and administrators helped to "minimize" it? Guy gets a blindside punch in the head...how exactly did they minimize anything??:mad:

That one sentence tells us all we need to know about the Houston Independent School District.

Here is what is going to happen. Someone is going to sue these school districts for incidents like this and then things will change as a result. Until that time, this will keep happening.

Peace

And this is why I won't do anything less than HS JV games. I can't stand to deal with idiotic fans and coaches (not that they're much better at the HS level).

Not exactly. ORS 166.370 specifies that carrying a weapon in a public building (which includes public schools), loaded or unloaded, is a class C felony. The law has an exception provision for those with a license to carry a concealed handgun. There is also an exception that allows an unloaded weapon locked in a vehicle.

In 2005 there was a unsuccessful attempt to amend the law to allow a school district board to prohibit CCW license holders from carrying on school premises and other school sanctioned activities. It failed primarily because it was overly broad in scope.

Private facilities are free to restrict weapon possession in any way they choose. The clinic that my wife work for, for example, won't even allow an off duty LEO to carry on premises - they must lock the weapon in their car.

That said, carrying a weapon to a sporting event is, IMHO, a really really bad idea.

I work a lot of JH ball for my local junior high. I go to the game dressed, except for my shoes. They open the coaches office for us, which is right off the gym floor. People are in and out of there all the time, so I don't take anything that I won't need on the floor with me.

There's only one exit, and I always am a little wary if it was a close game...you never do know. I've never had any problems there, but it only takes one bad apple.

Perhaps so, but I suspect it is just a policy. I doubt they have any direct legal manner to enforce their policies aside from not allowing the person access to the premises under threat of trespassing charges. If such a person were to be on the property with a weapon, it wouldn't be a criminal offense like it would if they were to have a gun in a school or court house.

Correct. If someone refuses to comply, about all they can do is notify the individual that they must immediately leave the premises. If they then refuse to leave they can be arrested for criminal trespass, but possession of a weapon with appropriate permit to carry, in and of itself isn't a criminal offense under those circumstances.

Thank you for your information. I agree carrying a weapon to a sporting event sounds like a really bad idea; I was more thinking out loud than anything else. However, I did not know that there was an exception on the books for CHL holders.

For the bigger city refs, would a taser be a decent compromise? No idea on the law as far as owning or possessing one.

This Will Do The Trick ...
 

It would have to be pretty damn comfortable. Generally, I can't stand ankle holsters.

Interesting, thanks for setting me straight.

I still wouldn't carry while working a game...especially if I know the table personnel have their TASERS handy. :D

We do here. Gold Crown and YMCA, no dice, but school sponsored games come with a room.

Or maybe there is a shoe design like the one in that early James Bond movie.

If they aren't giving me a room, I'm not wearing a jacket.

The bottom line is that it's the responsibility of game management to insure the safety of the officials. If there was a facility where that was a known problem, then I would decline assignments there.

For the vast majority if the high schools in our area it simply isn't an issue - some type of a secure location, albeit not always a locker room at some of the smaller ones, is provided for the officials.

Middle schools are another issue - I haven't been to one yet that has a room set aside for the officials. At these I go dressed, including jacket. The only thing in my jacket pockets are my cell phone and car keys.

Never had a problem except for once at a tournament somewhere where I couldn't find the host people. Like always, we told them to find us a suitable place or we were leaving and they wouldn't be having any games. As always, it worked.

A dressing room is not a luxury for basketball. I can live without a shower (though I won't go back) but I will no wear my ref clothes outside.

thnx for sharing +rep

If this was me, i would be filing a lawsuit against the school district. If there have been past problems and now current ones, they dont care maybe some money might get their attention