How to ignore

[Suudy]

I posted this situation before (I think it was last season). I had a kid break free for about a 50 yard touchdown. I was the BJ, so I was standing on the GL as the runner nears the goal. The pursuing defender did a slide and tried to kick out the feet of the runner. He tripped the runner, but the runner was able to keep his balance enough to cross the GL upright.

I immediately get an earful from a guy standing behind the EZ (this is a small school--8 man football on a cramped field with no real defined fan areas). He starts talking about how tripping is illegal and the safety of the kids are in danger when I am officiating. He threatened "legal action" if that trip had caused an injury.

It took a tremendous amount of self-restraint to ignore this guy. It's one thing to chew on me about not calling a PI, holding, etc. But to say that I'm threatening the safety of the kids playing is something else. Then to top it off with a threat of legal action....

I was irate at the guy, but somehow I kept my tongue. That was probably the single toughest moment to keep quiet in my career.