Two Texas high school football players have been suspended and potentially face criminal charges, according to ESPN, for an unusual, deeply unsportsmanlike hit on a referee during a game on Friday night. The two defensive players from John Jay High School lined up normally during the waning moments of a 15-9 loss to Marble Falls, and instead of tracking the play beelined towards the referee, who had his back to the players and was watching the play. The first player hit the referee in the back; the second speared him with his helmet once he was on the ground.
One of the players was immediately ejected, but the other stayed on the field as the ref mistakenly ejected another player not involved in the play. Both players, however, were later suspended from the team and from school, pending a full investigation. “The referee was ‘very upset’ and ‘wanting to press charges,’ ” Austin Football Officials Association secretary Wayne Elliott told ESPN. “The first thing we want is that those two kids never play football again.”
