OHSAA Suspends Official Over Social Media

[HLin NC]

Don't criticize in public the organization that oversees your avocation would be the lesson to take away from this. B&*%$ all you want to your co-workers and supervisors, just don't air it out for the world to see.

Free speech only gets you so far.

[jTheUmp]

And this is why I only post things on Facebook approximately 3 times per year, and never about officiating stuff.

The phrase "silence can't be misquoted" comes to mind.

[sorrydog]

So what did he write?

[udbrky]

https://forum.officiating.com/basket...ial-media.html

[Texas Aggie]

This COULD be problematic for the OHSAA IF they are organized in any way as a public entity. The comment, "Any reasonable person who reads your postings would doubt your ability to fairly a game, regardless of whether or not you actually do call them fairly. This is not an issues of politics. It’s an issue of respect." is false.

This is petty and makes the OHSAA, who should know better, look like idiots.

In a time of crisis involving the shortage of officials, the OHSAA does what it should be telling its officials not to do: grow big ears, get defensive, and respond harshly to criticism.

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally Posted by Texas Aggie

This COULD be problematic for the OHSAA IF they are organized in any way as a public entity. The comment, "Any reasonable person who reads your postings would doubt your ability to fairly a game, regardless of whether or not you actually do call them fairly. This is not an issues of politics. It’s an issue of respect." is false.

This is petty and makes the OHSAA, who should know better, look like idiots.

In a time of crisis involving the shortage of officials, the OHSAA does what it should be telling its officials not to do: grow big ears, get defensive, and respond harshly to criticism.

The OhioHSAA is not a public organization. It is a private organization made up of its member schools. And therefore, can make its own rules.

MTD, Sr.

[Texas Aggie]

It is a private organization made up of its member schools.

According to filings, it is an unincorporated association. If it IS made up of member schools -- mostly public schools -- it COULD (depending on federal and state case law) fall under the area of a quasi-public agency. If public school districts got together and formed an association, that wouldn't make them (or the association) private.

And therefore, can make its own rules.

They can make their own rules whether they are public or private, but public entities (and this is at worst, an open question here) can't violate constitutional protections of free speech. That's exactly what this smacks of. I've never, in my almost 30 years of officiating, heard of anyone suspended for anything other than what constituted really bad behavior ON the field/court, a criminal offense, or something like not showing up for an assignment.

Have you?

The other problem (for the OHSAA) is that school districts themselves usually have some form of governmental immunity by statute. It is unlikely this association has it.

Do you really like the idea of your association suspending you for saying something critical about them? I don't.