PAPILLION, Neb. (WOWT) – A disturbing assault over the weekend in the Omaha metro should lead to improvements in protection for sports referees.
By rushing the court toward an official, fans of an eighth grade boys basketball team went out of bounds.
“This is a lot more disturbing that just pushing an official, punching an official,” said Sean Johnston, the official’s supervisor. “I did not realize how many adults went toward the official.”
Though it appears some tried to stop the confrontation, Johnston says what happened to just one basketball ref will change training for all with a whistle.
“I know the site supervisor was not in the gym, they were in the building, but not in the gym, so whether his partner was trying to go get help or tired to prevent other things from happening, we cannot leave each other alone,” Johnston said. “We have to stay together as a team of officials.”
Sarpy County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 40-year-old Joshua Littrell for misdemeanor assault on a referee.
“[The referee] took a punch, so it’s going to to take some time for him to feel safe again out in the sporting world,” Johnston said.
The referee, who asked not to be identified, had stopped the game with several minutes left on the clock in a private tournament at a public school in Papillion on Saturday.
“[He did] what he felt was right by enforcing the rules and stopping the unsporting behavior,” said Johnston.
Factory Basketball, which sponsored the once-a-year tournament, says the parent accused of assault is associated with an out-of-town team and not the athlete development organization. Factory Basketball calls the incident “heartbreaking” and that it has has always offered a safe environment but will continue to pour effort into change moving forward.
“In every one of our contracts, we put in there, ‘adequate security,’” Johnston said.
For Johnston, it means having another kind of official present for youth tournaments.
“After seeing this video, maybe the definition of adequate security is having an armed police officer or a company for security on the game site,” Johnston said.
First Alert 6 has not been able to reach the fan accused of assault, but he bonded out of Sarpy County Jail on Saturday after paying $1,000 for bond on a misdemeanor. That carries a possible sentence of probation, a fine, or up to a year in jail.
An official with Papillion Public Schools told First Alert 6 that the gym use agreement stipulates that the renting party is responsible for keeping order.
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