THE NEWS

Fitzgerald Takes Role in NBA Officiating Office

NEW YORK — Kane Fitzgerald, a 13-year NBA officiating veteran, left the floor to become the NBA’s new vice president of referee operations and replay center principal, the league announced in September.

He officially started in the role on Sept. 18, taking over for Jason Phillips, another former on-floor NBA official for 19 seasons who left the VP role after three years.

“I’ve always kind of been excited about new challenges, and it’s a rare opportunity that you can come off the floor as a referee and find a position in the NBA of this magnitude,” Fitzgerald said in an interview with the Associated Press. “I’m excited about the challenge, something new, something different, seeing if I can grow into the role and being as successful as I was on the floor.”

Fitzgerald, 41, began his officiating career working high school games in his native New Jersey. He moved into the college ranks, working in the Atlantic Sun, Big South and Ohio Valley conferences, then transitioned into professional basketball, spending two seasons in the WNBA and four seasons in the G League.

He made his NBA debut during the 2009-10 season and finished his on-floor career working 779 NBA regular-season games. He also worked 66 NBA playoff games, including four Finals games, the last of which came during Game 4 of the 2022 Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors. He also officiated the 2022 NBA All-Star Game in Cleveland.

Fitzgerald’s new role will include oversight of the day-today operations of the NBA Replay Center in Secaucus, N.J. He will also be involved with referee operations including creating training videos and interpreting the rules of the game for officials, teams, broadcasters and media.

“Kane’s broad experience and distinguished record as an NBA official make him well suited to oversee our efforts to maintain the highest of standards for the NBA Replay Center,” said Byron Spruell, the NBA’s president for league operations, in a news release issued by the NBA Communications Department. “We are fortunate that he will bring his skills and expertise to such an important leadership position.”

SOURCE: NBA.COM

NBRA, NBA Ratify New CBA

The National Basketball Referees Association (NBRA) announced on Sept. 15 the ratification of a new collective bargaining agreement with the NBA. The sevenyear agreement begins with the current 202223 season and runs through the 2028-29 season. Citing league policy, the terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The NBRA said in a news release the contract addressed salary, travel, pension and marketing rights issues and was ratified by an “overwhelming majority” of the NBA referees.

“We are pleased with the outcome of the negotiations,” said Marc Davis, NBA referee and NBRA executive board member, in a news release. “The league has made clear that they value the contributions we make to the game’s integrity, and we look forward to a long and prosperous relationship together. We are all excited to start the new season.”

See “New CBA” p.11

THE WIRE

High School Referee Quits Mid-Match

A high school soccer offi cial in Michigan, apparently fed up with heckling from the stands and comments from players and coaches during a contentious match between Gaylord and Traverse City Central high schools on Sept. 13, called it quits mid-match. ThePetoskey News-Review reported the departing offi cial told his fellow offi cials, “I don’t need this,” before walking off the fi eld not to return. The score was tied, 3-3, in the second half. The two remaining offi cials and head coach met before deciding to fi nish the match with a reducedsize crew. Before the match continued, the Gaylord coach spoke with the team’s fan base, asking them to respect the remaining referees. Traverse City prevailed, 5-3.

SoCon Joins Officiating Consortiums

The Southern Conference announced in late September it had joined with the SEC and other conferences in offi ciating consortiums in two sports. The SoCon joined the SEC, ASUN, Ohio Valley, Southland, Southwestern Athletic and Sun Belt conferences in a women’s basketball offi ciating consortium and with the SEC, ASUN, Ohio Valley and Sun Belt conferences in a baseball umpiring consortium. The SoCon has been a member of the SEC’s football offi ciating consortium since the 2020 season and a member of the SEC men’s basketball offi ciating consortium since the 2020-21 season. The

THE ONLY OFFICIAL COLLEGE COLLEGE MECHANICS MECHANICS MANUALS MANUALS

The CCA offi ciating manuals are the only offi cial source for college basketball mechanics. When you pair your rules knowledge with advanced mechanics, illustrated with MechaniGram® graphics from Referee, you will confi dently be in the right confi dently be in the right place at the right time to place at the right time to make every call.

$1995 EACH ONLY

Pages: 192

Pages: 192

ALL NEW FOR THE 2022-23 SEASON!

Youth Baseball Umpire Assaulted in Kentucky

Youth Coach Arrested on Assault Charge

OWENSBORO, Ky. — A 30-year-old Owensboro, Ky., man was arrested Sept. 15 for punching an umpire during a Southern Little League baseball game involving 6- to 8-yearold players.

Glendle Cain faces charges of assault of a sports official and alcohol intoxication.

According to the Owensboro Police Department, Cain attempted to enter one of the team’s dugouts while watching a game involving his son. He was asked to leave, but refused. Umpire Craig Crawford then asked Cain to leave the premises. Cain became belligerent and struck Crawford in the face, knocking him to the ground.

Cain was then restrained by offduty Kentucky State Trooper Alec Winters, who was attending the game.

Crawford told WEHT-TV that he next remembered waking on the ground with one of his fellow umpires and a nurse checking on him.

First responders initially thought Crawford’s jaw may have been broken from the punch and photos of his jaw went viral on social media following the event. Doctors later assessed no bones had been broken, but the impact left Crawford’s jaw swollen and bruised.

Crawford said he never expected something like this to happen to him.

“Unfortunately maybe I should,” Crawford said. “Maybe I should be on guard but you know we’re a small community. I’ve never had any situation like this happen.”

According to the Owensboro Police Department, Cain has a long list of previous charges against him, including drug possession, disorderly conduct, alcohol intoxication, as well as other infractions. He was booked into the Daviess County Jail on a $10,000 full cash bond.

Crawford, who has been umpiring for more than 20 years, returned to umpiring shortly after the incident. Coaches and players welcomed him back.

“As I was walking towards the field, a 7-year-old walked up to me he goes, ‘Are you Mr. Craig?’ I said, ‘Yeah,’” Crawford said. “He goes, ‘I’m super glad you’re OK.’ He reached up and gave me a big hug.

“Tears were running down, I was like, ‘Oh my goodness.’ Next thing I know they bring all these homemade cards, get well cards, thank you cards. Just making sure that I was OK.”

SOURCES: WEHT-TV, WBKO-TV, OWENSBORO TIMES MATTAPAN, Mass. — A youth football coach was arrested and charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on an individual over the age of 60 for allegedly throwing a football at a referee during a 14-and-under Pop Warner football game. Police said the assault happened at a Sept. 25 game between the Malden Cyclones and Mattapan Patriots at MacDonald Stadium in Mattapan.

The referee, Tom Abruzzese, told a local TV station that the coach objected to a penalty against one of his players, was ejected and then threw the football at him. Abruzzese, 66, said after being hit by the football he went down on one knee and was shaken up and tended to by an on-site EMT. He was not seriously hurt.

“On behalf of all officials, I want this man prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” Abruzzese said. The coach who was charged in the incident — Dana Jones, 55, of Roslindale — told the TV station that he wasn’t trying to hit anyone with the ball, but did throw it in anger.

THE WIRE

consortiums were established to allow the conferences to collaborate on all offi ciating matters related to recruitment, education and training, scheduling and evaluation of offi cials. Veteran umpire Paul Guillie will serve as the SoCon’s baseball coordinator of offi cials. Lisa Mattingly, a longtime former NCAA women’s basketball and WNBA referee, will serve as the SoCon’s women’s basketball coordinator of offi cials.

High School Player Made to Remove Beads

A high school freshman volleyball player said she was forced to remove beads from her hair in order to play in a Sept. 20 game at Jersey Village High School in Texas. Effective this season, NFHS volleyball rules allow hair adornments such as beads as long as they are securely fastened and do not endanger other players. The girl and her family went to the news media following the game saying it was a case of hair discrimination. They are demanding an apology from the referee.

“She was telling me, and the ref was telling me, yelling at me in my face that I needed to take all my beads out or else I couldn’t play,” said Santana Harris, a student from Cy-Creek High School, to KPRC-TV. “And (the referee) was saying I knew I couldn’t play with them and that I was doing it on purpose.”

Pay Deal Saves Start of Season

Western New York sports offi cials and Section VI of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association ended a pay dispute Aug. 29 that had threatened the start of the fall sports season. Offi cials had been threatening to sit out games after their contract expired Aug. 31. Offi cials wanted a bigger pay increase than was being offered.

State Soccer Interpreter Issues Apology

WILSONVILLE, Ore. — The Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) soccer state rules interpreter issued an apology Sept. 23 for issuing a bulletin three days earlier to athletic directors, coaches and officials that called for treating boys’ and girls’ games differently.

Patrick Duffy, who has been the state rules interpreter for 17 years, issued a follow-up bulletin after objections were raised to his original one that had noted: “There has been a huge upswing in red cards in girls’ games this season and a lot of them are for violent conduct. Do not referee a girls’ game the same way you would a boys’ game. Girls are much less likely to want to play through some contact with opponents that boys typically want to shrug off.

“If you hear a player shouting at an opponent, hit the whistle immediately and loudly! Do not wait to see if advantage is going to develop,” Duffy wrote. “If you do not stop play immediately for this, there is a very high probability that a fight is about to start. In my experience, high school girls do not shout like that without provocation, either. At least one and probably two cards need to come out quickly, so the players can (go) to the bench and calm down.”

After a backlash from coaches who complained the bulletin was sexist, Duffy and the OSAA reissued the bulletin with an apology from Duffy and revised language.

“The NFHS Soccer Rule book does not differentiate between levels of play or those playing the game,” Duffy wrote. “The comments I made unnecessarily segmented populations. My goal was not to compare, contrast or rank soccer between boys and girls. My goal was to describe the nuances that go into each game, but I failed in the attempt to communicate that. I realize now that my comments were hurtful to some and shed a negative light upon the OSAA, the sport of soccer, officiating and myself. I will work diligently to regain the trust of the Association, schools, players and officials around the state.”

Duffy was required to undergo additional training to remain as state rules interpreter.

“In conversations with Patrick since it was released, it was clear that he understood the offensive nature of his written words and was remorseful,” OSAA Executive Director Peter Weber told OregonLive.com. “As an educationbased activity association, OSAA actions in this instance are grounded in education and training. Patrick understood and supported our mandate that he complete both the NFHS implicit bias and OSAA equity training courses in order to continue in his role at this time. It remains to be seen if he’ll be able to regain the trust of the schools, players and officials around the state.”

New CBA

continued from p.8

The previous collective bargaining agreement was ratified in mid-August 2015 and ran through 2022. That was also a seven-year agreement, and replaced the last year of a previous agreement. For the 2020-21 season, the NBRA ratified a letter of agreement modifying the collective bargaining agreement to address operations amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The NBRA, which was established in 1973, is the union representing NBA referees. In August 2016, the WNBA referees joined the NBRA for purposes of representation in collective bargaining. The most recent collective bargaining agreement between the WNBA and WNBA referees was ratified in April 2021. It was a three-year agreement running through the 2023-24 season.

In 2017, the NBRA began representing the G League referees, with the first collective bargaining agreement — a two-year agreement — ratified in October 2017. The latest G League agreement was ratified in October 2019. It was a three-year deal running through the 2022-23 season.

“Appreciative of the work of Section VI & the Western NY Sports Officials to ensure students are afforded the opportunity to play! Both groups agreed in principle on a 5-year contract this evening. High school sports benefit students, schools, and communities,” Dr. Robert Zayas, executive director of New York State Public High School Athletic Association, wrote on Twitter.

Details of the new contract were not immediately available.

Referee Banned for Impromptu VAR

Serbian referee Stefan Lazovic faces a lifetime ban by Serbian soccer officials for using a fan’s phone to overturn an offside decision during a lowertier Serbian soccer match in mid-September. Video of the situation, where Lazovic reviews the play on a fan’s phone for half a minute before reversing his decision, went viral. Lazovic, who had no assistant referee for the match, received support on social media platforms, including from high-level Serbian professional soccer player Nemanja Matic.

Olympic Boxing Referee Says Offered Bribes

Former Olympic boxing referee Bill Phillips told The (U.K.) Times he was offered two prostitutes as a bribe to fix matches at a qualifying event in Kazakhstan in 2008. He sent them away. Later in that same trip, he declined the offer of an envelope containing $500 cash, he said. Phillips, a British referee who retired after the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, said he believes corruption remains an issue in the sport. He refereed 102 international tournaments in his career.

SOURCES: PETOSKYNEWS.COM, WCVB-TV, THE SUN, THE (U.K.) DAILY MAIL, KPRC-TV, WNYNEWSNOW.COM