If any of you think that his intention was to cause harm then you obviously have never took a swing at someone with intent of causing harm! That was not a thrown punch, slap, jab or any action to cause harm. Looks to me like he intended to knock off his hat, which is by far disrespectful and he should not have done it. Should be be punished by school officials our khsaa? Yes. Charged with assault? No way.

If any of you think that his intention was to cause harm then you obviously have never took a swing at someone with intent of causing harm! That was not a thrown punch, slap, jab or any action to cause harm. Looks to me like he intended to knock off his hat, which is by far disrespectful and he should not have done it. Should be be punished by school officials our khsaa? Yes. Charged with assault? No way.

Let's change the scenario a bit. Let's say that this wasn't a senior in a high school football game, but a 45 year old parent after the game. What should happen in that case?

To answer your question,-more than likey he would not face any charges, so he would just walk away. Schools could ban him from coming onto there property. I have been involved in altercations on one side or the other and in this case it would just be over if everyone walked away. Although I'm not talking about at a school event. Like others said earlier in this thread,- there had to be proof of intent to do harm.

You don't know this kid. You're basing your entire opinion on him with this one action. I know if people did that with me I wouldn't like the results.

 

When kids do dumb things I like to remind myself of the dumb things I did as a kid and not overreact. I'm not saying don't punish the kid clearly he deserves to be punished. I just don't see a need to get the court system involved.

 

Whenever a player touches an official in an aggressive manor it's a big deal and needs to be dealt with harshly otherwise it becomes open season on officials.

So if you let this kid get off with detention, what happens when the next Lafayette player does something similar?

 

You can't throw the sink at him because it's his first time...

Go for a felony, let him plead it down to a misdemeanor.

The rule is, if you contact an official with malicious intent, it's a felony. I'd say we Florida to thank for this (strictly my opinion). I've been in many games and have a very short fuse, but I never even stepped toward an official. There is a line drawn in the sand and this player crossed iy

The rule is, if you contact an official with malicious intent, it's a felony.

 

If that is indeed the interpretation of the rule, this player should absolutely be charged. No question.

You don't know this kid. You're basing your entire opinion on him with this one action. I know if people did that with me I wouldn't like the results.

 

When kids do dumb things I like to remind myself of the dumb things I did as a kid and not overreact. I'm not saying don't punish the kid clearly he deserves to be punished. I just don't see a need to get the court system involved.

You're right, I don't know that kid and it doesn't matter one bit.

 

I get so so tired of the garbage people toss out there such as "When kids do dumb things I like to remind myself of the dumb things I did as a kid" garbage. If you took a swing at a ref as a player I'd hope you got prosecuted too. Quit making excuses for punks. That is what is wrong with society these days, too many people like yourself excusing bad behavior with zero accountability of consequences.

 

Guess what? I was also young once but I never took a swing at an official nor did anyone else I grew up with. I didn't make idiotic mistakes like that. What if he would have connected hard and something happened like the official getting knocked out and hits his head hard as he falls down and possibly has seizures or breaks his neck or something? Only then is it a bad thing and the punk should be held accountable?

 

Quit giving crimnal actions a pass only because you condone that type of thing because he is "young". Sorry, I knew the difference in right and wrong when I was a lot younger than that kid.

I love the passive aggressiveness of the dislike button @#99 :lol: . I'm guessing you aren't biased in this case :lol2:

Today no respect for an official, tomorrow no respect for law enforcement. Day after that news article about another police related shooting of a kid/man.

 

Extreme, maybe, but with this "entitled" generation, you send a message with a BIG stick or deal with the disrespect.

If you know me, you know I'm the last person to defend someone who attempts to assault an official. There is no place for it in organized sports which, imo, this kid should not be involved in anymore.

 

I also know the consequences of law enforcement coming down hard on a teenager to "set an example". Once you go that route, you can't go back and you now have absolutely no control over what the courts do or say. You have also potentially ruined the life of a teenage boy before his life has even begun if he's looking at a felony.

 

Like I said earlier in this thread, I don't know this kid's history. If this is just another in a pattern of disrespect, why was this kid on the field to begin with?! I put that squarely on the school administration and the football coach. They did this kid no favors by glossing over past misdeeds.

 

Now, someone asked earlier what if this was an adult/parent. I have less tolerance for those in the stands who think they know the rules better. You are supposed to be an adult setting an example for the young adults in the room (so to speak). I have witnessed my spouse being verbally abused and threatened physically by those so called adults. I have no sympathy for them and will be the first to call the police if needed.

Charge him heavy, do the press conferences and explain that violence or any intimidating gesture toward a game official will not be tolerated in the Commonwealth of KY.

 

In a few weeks once the kid is in the system, do a plea deal with a smart prosecutor and judge that completely wipes his record if he keeps his "nose completely clean" for a couple of years. Puts the keys to the jail cell in his pocket. If it truly was an out of character mistake in the heat of emotion and a 1 time thing, the kid will make sure to take advantage of this opportunity to make sure it doesn't happen again.

Part of me leans towards pursuing the felony charges. Kid definitely had malicious intent and deserves it.

 

Another part of me thinks the punishment should be to kick him out of school. That would mean no graduating high school.

Kids/young adults playing their very last high school contest have more and more done stupid things to mark the end of their career when they are on the losing side. I have seen it from kids I never thought would behave that way. Hopefully this was dealt with in some manner by the school and KHSAA at least. It should not be ignored in any manner. Not sure if 'the law' is needed. But this should be dealt with in a serious manner.

 

A statement of resolution by the KHSAA and probably the school would be good to ensure its known it was no given a pass. Knowing that such interactions with officials - during the games or after the games is not acceptable and will be addressed is needed for the future potection of officials who are doing a very, very tough job.