A youth flag football game in Revere, Massachusetts, got a lot less "flag" and a lot more "football" on Saturday, when a referee and a coach went from arguing about a call to getting physical in front of a crowd of adults and kids. WCVB reports the two have since made up, hugs included.
- What happened: An argument between a referee and a coach over a disputed call turned physical during the game, according to WCVB.
- The video: A grandparent of one of the players recorded it. The footage shows a group of adults pulling the two men apart while several children looked on.
- The ref: Jeff Etienne, who has officiated flag football for 20 years, identified himself as the official involved. He told NewsCenter 5 it was the first time anything like this had happened to him, and he says it will be the last.
- The coach: He coaches one of the Mass Outlaws teams. Etienne and multiple witnesses said the coach got in his face yelling about the play and wouldn't back off. Etienne said he pushed the coach away in self-defense.
- The call: Mass Outlaws said in a statement that its coach was upset about a blitz ruling that initially went the team's way, then flipped to the other side within the same play.
- The aftermath: The game was stopped. Etienne says that afterward the two talked through their frustrations, apologized, and hugged.
The Reaction
The grandparent who shot the video, who asked not to be named, told NewsCenter 5 they were "totally outraged" by what they saw.
Etienne didn't dodge responsibility. He said he has walked away from yelling coaches plenty of times before and should have done the same here. "It should never ever be that serious," he said, noting that nobody on the field is playing in the NFL or for millions of dollars.
Mass Outlaws called the incident out of character for both men and said it doesn't reflect the standards the organization wants to set for its athletes. The group described both men as generally level-headed and positive influences on players, and said a heat-of-the-moment blowup shouldn't overshadow the good that comes out of youth sports.
The Takeaway
A blitz call that changed mid-play is the kind of thing that launches a thousand sideline arguments. It's rarely the kind that ends with two grown men being separated by a crowd. At least this one ended with an apology and a hug instead of a lasting grudge.
Source: WCVB