A referee and a coach at a youth flag football game in Revere, Massachusetts, went from arguing about a call to shoving each other on Saturday, and a grandparent got the whole thing on video. Adults pulled the two apart while a group of kids watched.
- Where: A youth flag football game in Revere, Massachusetts, on Saturday.
- Who: Referee Jeff Etienne and a coach for one of the Mass Outlaws teams. The coach has not been named in reports.
- The spark: A disputed call. Mass Outlaws said the coach was upset about a blitz ruling that first went his team's way, then flipped to the other side during the same play.
- The escalation: Witnesses told WCVB's NewsCenter 5 the coach got in Etienne's face and wouldn't back off. Etienne said he pushed the coach away in self-defense.
- The aftermath: The game was stopped. A crowd of adults separated the two men.
- The footage: A grandparent of one of the players recorded it. That person, who asked not to be identified, said they were "totally outraged" by what they saw.
Etienne has officiated flag football for 20 years and says nothing like this had ever happened to him. He told NewsCenter 5 it would be the last time. He also owned his part, saying he has walked away from yelling coaches before and should have done it again.
Mass Outlaws confirmed the basics in a statement. The organization said the situation "escalated quickly and got physical," and that it doesn't reflect the standards it sets for its athletes. It added that both men are normally level-headed and positive influences on players.
According to Etienne, the story ended better than it started. After the game, he and the coach talked through their frustrations, apologized, and hugged it out before leaving. He said youth sports aren't the NFL, the kids are there to learn and have fun, and the adults shouldn't make it about themselves.
The reports don't say whether the league or the organization is taking any further action.
Source: KAKE