Ron Seibel: Attack on official has no place in sports

In the 20 years I’ve covered high school sports, I’ve seen my share of testy situations involving officiating.

There have been times when a call that just didn’t look right affected the outcome of a game. There have been times when a little extra ounce of unnecessary theatrics from an official made things a bit testy.

Roll the clock back to my high school days, and I witnessed one time when a basketball official threatened a ninth-grade cheerleader to “sue your parents for every dime they’ve got” because, in the official’s eye, the cheerleader got in the way of his duties. I don’t think he ever worked another game at that school.

But nothing can justify what happened last week in Texas, where two players from San Antonio teed off on an official from behind in a varsity game.

Simply put, the official was defenseless. Standing behind the linebackers, the official was blindsided by two safeties who basically blitzed his backside.

The first player put a good lick on the official, which is bad enough in and of itself. But the second safety doubled down, going head-first into someone who was already on the ground.

Attacking an official is bad enough. But to go head-first in a sport in which one of the first things they teach you is to not go head-first? That’s criminal, pure and simple.

The story of why the official was attacked shifted a couple of times. First, word was that the team involved was upset with calls that were made. Then a claim was made that the official involved made racial slurs.

If it comes out that the official never made those alleged racial slurs, then those making the claims -- players and coaches -- are just as guilty of racism as the official if that official did indeed utter those unfortunate and uncalled for remarks. And even if the official was being ugly with those players prior to the incident, that’s not the way to handle the situation. You alert your coaches, who then go to the referee in charge of the crew. If that doesn’t produce a resolution, then the head coach should have every right to pull the team from the field, even if the state association prohibits such action.

But you do not ever -- ever -- initiate physical contact with an official.

The situation was discussed earlier this week on ESPN’s “First Take.” I don’t always agree with Stephen A. Smith, but he hit the nail on the head regarding this. He labeled what the players did as something that they should have been arrested for on the spot, something that went beyond what can be handled through normal sporting channels. While the players involved were allowed to go home that night, a criminal investigation involving the players and any coaches who might have been involved is pending.

Football is big in Texas. Emotions run high. It gets near that point in some parts of Georgia, as well. There’s a lot invested in the programs and the student-athletes involved.

I want to see people succeed. When handled right, Friday night is one of the best things going. But when things happen like what happened last week in Texas, it makes the sport look ugly. And those type of situations need to be called out and stamped out.

If you’re involved in high school sports here in Middle Georgia, do me a favor. Don’t act like those two players in Texas. I don’t want to have to write about you in that light. But if something like that does happen, rest assured that it will be written about. And you won’t like the attention.

Contact Ron Seibel at 744-4222 or rseibel@macon.com

This story was originally published September 10, 2015 at 5:41 PM with the headline "Ron Seibel: Attack on official has no place in sports ."