‘Bullying’ of referees leads to entire student section being thrown out of Iowa game
An entire student section was thrown out of an Iowa high school basketball game, video shows.
The principal of Lincoln High School in Des Moines critiqued the referee’s swift decision to remove the students, and referred to the incident as “unfortunate.”
It happened during a Friday, Feb. 24, game as Lincoln’s boys’ team traveled to face Northwest High School from Waukee.
With 7:25 to go in the fourth quarter, a referee approached an administrator during a stoppage and pointed to the student section. The administrator is then seen talking to the students along the baseline, but the referee blows his whistle 15 seconds later.
Video shared by Pardon My French Media shows the referee gesture for the Lincoln students to be removed from the gym.
“That’s a first that I’ve seen here in high school radio,” the broadcaster said as the students dispersed.
Todd Tharp, the assistant director for the Iowa High School Athletic Association, said the administrator was asked to stand in front of the students who he said were making “vulgar comments” to the refs all game.
“That seemed to really incite them a little more,” Tharp told KCCI. “There was a lot more bullying going on. Continuing to hear profanity.”
The profanity directed at the officials included “abusive language,” Dave Rittman, president of the Des Moines Officials Association, told WHO13.
Lincoln High School said in a statement that the referees did not address the concerns until shortly before the students were removed from the game.
“While we regret the role that our students played in this incident, we wish we would have had an opportunity to address the situation when called up to do so,” the school said. “We have no doubt that our students would have responded to the staff’s direction and been able to remain present to support their fellow student-athletes.”
Northwest beat Lincoln 94-67.
This story was originally published February 28, 2023 at 8:19 AM with the headline "‘Bullying’ of referees leads to entire student section being thrown out of Iowa game."