A coach and a referee swapped shoves, and then punches, at a girls' flag football tournament in Revere, Massachusetts, and the adults in the bleachers had to step in. The game was over a blitz call. Yes, a blitz call in flag football.
- Who: Jeff Etienne, a flag football official with 20 years of experience, and a coach for the Massachusetts Outlaws whom no one has publicly named.
- Where: The Ghost Town Showdown, held at Harry Della Russo Stadium (aka "The Boneyard") in Revere. The tournament included girls divisions starting at six and under, per the New York Post.
- The spark: The Outlaws said their coach was frustrated after a blitz ruling went in their favor, then flipped to the other team during the same play.
- The escalation: Witnesses told WCVB the coach yelled in Etienne's face and the ref shoved him. The team said things turned physical quickly and the game was halted.
- The cleanup: Parents pinned the coach to the ground and walked him away. One grandparent told WCVB they were "totally outraged."
Etienne didn't dodge his share of the blame. He said he's walked away from yelling coaches plenty of times and should have done it again. In his words, it should never get that serious, since nobody involved is playing in the NFL or for millions of dollars. Etienne and the coach later apologized to each other, according to the Post.
Not the first one this fall
Youth football has had a rough few weeks of grown-up behavior. In late August, coaches from rival Pennsylvania teams were filmed brawling, and three people were charged, per the Post. Carlynton coach DeQuay Canton faces a third-degree misdemeanor and is scheduled for arraignment Nov. 25, according to CBS. Keystone Oaks coaching staffers Joseph Kubiak and Frank McGrath each received a summary disorderly conduct citation.
No discipline or charges have been reported in the Revere incident.
Somewhere in Revere, a group of kids just wanted to play flag football. The grown-ups showed up with a rematch of a call that probably lasted six seconds.
Source: Nypost