Football Officiating > State-Specific Topics (Texas Not Included)
National Anthem Protest in N.J.
NVFOA_Ump:
Refs refuse to work high school game after anthem protest
MONROE, N.J. (AP) – A father and son who were to officiate a high school football game Friday night walked off the field after members of one team knelt during the national anthem.
Ernie and Anthony Lunardelli said they told officials from Colts Neck and Monroe high schools before the game they would not work if any players protested.
They were replaced by two officials in training after four Monroe players took a knee on their home field.
The two officials told mycentraljersey. com they respect the players’ right to protest, but
they believe such acts are disrespectful.
The pair stood on the field with their hands on their hearts while the anthem was played, then left immediately.
“What they are doing with this kneeling and everything, they have the right do to that, but the national anthem has nothing to do with them kneeling,” said Ernie Lunardelli.
Any thoughts on this issue?
ncwingman:
Actions have consequences. If you want to be assigned a game, show up for pregame and then leave before the game starts, you certainly can if you're willing to accept the consequences of your actions.
In this case, those consequences will likely be removed or reduced game assignments in the future for being unreliable and putting the rest of the crew in that situation.
Unrelated, I'm impressed that NJ apparently has enough officials that chain crews are manned by "officials in training" and not just home team parents. (Source -- longer article on the matter
CalhounLJ:
--- Quote from: NVFOA_Ump on October 29, 2017, 06:53:43 AM --- Refs refuse to work high school game after anthem protest
MONROE, N.J. (AP) – A father and son who were to officiate a high school football game Friday night walked off the field after members of one team knelt during the national anthem.
Ernie and Anthony Lunardelli said they told officials from Colts Neck and Monroe high schools before the game they would not work if any players protested.
They were replaced by two officials in training after four Monroe players took a knee on their home field.
The two officials told mycentraljersey. com they respect the players’ right to protest, but
they believe such acts are disrespectful.
The pair stood on the field with their hands on their hearts while the anthem was played, then left immediately.
“What they are doing with this kneeling and everything, they have the right do to that, but the national anthem has nothing to do with them kneeling,” said Ernie Lunardelli.
Any thoughts on this issue?
--- End quote ---
IMO, one form of protest is as bad as the other. I have a son about to deploy to the Middle Easr, and so I get the offense at the disrespect. But I also realize that when I take an assignment I have a responsibility to fulfill that obligation. There are othe r ways to deal with this situation.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
J12:
--- Quote from: ncwingman on October 29, 2017, 10:13:52 AM ---Actions have consequences. If you want to be assigned a game, show up for pregame and then leave before the game starts, you certainly can if you're willing to accept the consequences of your actions.
In this case, those consequences will likely be removed or reduced game assignments in the future for being unreliable and putting the rest of the crew in that situation.
Unrelated, I'm impressed that NJ apparently has enough officials that chain crews are manned by "officials in training" and not just home team parents. (Source -- longer article on the matter
--- End quote ---
Not to hijack the thread but just an FYI. I'm from NJ and there is a serious problem with shortages of officials here. Most of the time the chain crew is hometown dads, but occasionally trainees are used. As I understand it, trainees have to work a certain number of games on the chain crew. I think they just got lucky that they had them there on Friday.
AlUpstateNY:
Children are not eligible to vote, for good reason. They are not mature enough to understand political issues well enough to avoid being manipulated by unscrupulous adults willing to take advantage of their emotions. Schools are allowed to formulate rules specially designed to protect their charges from such inappropriate manipulation, and should exercise their responsibility to insure such manipulation is not permitted.
Inappropriate behavior left unchecked is guaranteed to provoke an ever increasing cycle of escalation, until it is stopped, at the source. Willfully disrespecting our Flag, by children, is unacceptable and especially inappropriate within any Public (or publicly endorsed) secondary school environment or setting, and should be prohibited, subject to appropriate consequences.
This disrespectful behavior is a "snowball" rolling down a steep mountain, and needs to be terminated before it escalates it's speed and causes unanticipated and excessive damage further down the slope. School administrators need to step up to their responsibilities and condemn and prevent acts of public disrespect by students, regardless of their own personal, political and or social leanings which may not be fully comprehensible by the CHILDREN they are charged with supervising and protecting from external, inappropriate issues.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
Go to full version