Did High School Basketball Coach Head-Butt Referee?
A high school basketball coach from Pennsylvania has made waves after he appeared to head-butt a referee during a game Tuesday night.
Jerry Devine, who coaches the boys team at Neshaminy High, in Langhorne, Penn., was arguing a charge call against his team when he received a technical and then hit the referee. The incident occurred with less than 30 seconds left in the game against Pennsbury, which went on to win the game, 49-42.
The Neshaminy School District released a statement about the incident, which said, in part:
Mr. Devine has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of that review for both his teaching and coaching positions. The athletic program at Neshaminy places the values of fair play and sportsmanlike conduct above all. We expect our coaches and staff to teach and uphold those principles, while acting in a professional manner at all times."
There is still some doubt as to whether Devine actually head-butted the referee. Chris Ermer, who called the game on WBCB, said, "From my vantage point, it looked more like a chest bump or a belly bump that just caught the ref off-guard. And after making contact with the official, coach Devine almost indicated by giving a sweeping motion with his hand that he thought the ref had flopped, that he thought the contact wasn’t enough to send the man to the floor."