School, IHSAA, won’t ban parent (who ATTACKED a referee) from state tourney

The Davenport Assumption High School parent accused of assaulting a referee March 5 after a loss in the last boys’ basketball game of the regular season, will be able to cheer on his son’s team during the state playoffs in Des Moines beginning Monday, school officials said Thursday.

The incident is the only reported attack on a referee during this basketball season in Iowa, according to Bernie Saggau, executive director of the Iowa High School Athletic Association, or IHSAA.

His organization does not have the authority to ban fans from games, but he has received at least 10 telephone calls from the management of local schools that have taken that action this season, he said.

Assumption athletic director Randy Norton talked to the parent, Daniel Ewen, 47, of Davenport, but the school decided not to take any action pending the outcome of the assault charge in court, Assumption President Linda Duffy said.

In the game, Davenport Central scored five points in the final 22.3 seconds of the game en route to a 51-50 victory over Assumption. Ewen was upset about what he believed was a bad call at the end of the game, police said.

Police said he went down the stairs and began pounding on the glass near the referee locker room. Referee Timothy McCann, 46, of Eldridge, Iowa, wore only a towel when he opened the door to ask Ewen to leave, police said.

Police said Ewen leaped through the opened door and assaulted McCann, who was treated and released at Genesis Medical Center-East Campus for injuries to his right arm and face, police said.

Ewen was charged with assault with injury, a serious misdemeanor that, if convicted, carries a jail term of up to one year.

Scott County Attorney Bill Davis said his office is taking the assault charge seriously and intends to convey the circumstances surrounding the assault to the judge.

“There’s more to it than just a simple assault,” he said. “We understand everything that is involved, in that sporting events need to be safe for everyone including the players and referee, the family in the parking lot and the family in the stands.”

In Iowa, people have attacked referees outside buildings and on their way to dressing rooms, and the sport of basketball has more referee-related problems, Saggau said.

“Basketball has the most exposure, and it’s a contact sport, and it’s impossible to call all the contact,” Saggau said. “I hear war stories when I go around to other states. We just shake our heads and say, ‘I’m glad we’re living where we’re at.’ ”

Still, he said the IHSAA spends as much time working on sportsmanship than it does on any other sports program, including having referees fill out a rating sheet for every school after games that are published, he said.

This year, the IHSAA sent a letter to schools for next week’s state tournament saying that fans from storming the floor after a game is prohibited, Saggau said. That is what took place after the March 5 Assumption-Central game.

“We will not tolerate students storming the floor. That’s violence. We won’t tolerate that,” he said.

Police officers lead referees on to and off of the floor at the state tournament, and in 25 years, Iowa has not had a problem during that tournament, he said.

Fans traded barbs and physical challenges at the game between Assumption and Central, said Davenport police Capt. David Struckman, who spent 24 years as coordinator of school security at Central.

“The conduct of some of the spectators was less than admirable. Some left, some wanted to stay,” he said.

Three officers worked the March 5 game. The number of officers at a game depends on the size of the crowd, the importance of the game and the heat of the long-time rivalries, he said.

Those law enforcement personnel included cops, sheriff’s posse members and civilian security people, but that presence has diminished over the years.

“It’s always been there,” Struckman said of crowd problems. “It’s how intense they are and how vocal they get. “We’re a much more violent society than we were before.”

That neither the school nor the IHSAA will ban this MORON from ALL future sporting events is cowardly and absurd.

This is not a case of someone yelling from the stands, or even making a threat during or after the game. The guy went down to the officials locker room looking for trouble and then proceeded to attack one of the officials!

I am a basketball official for high school and lower-level college and I have seen my share of idiots like this. Fortunately I have never had anyone attack me (although I have several times had threats made — i.e. "See you in the parking lot").

This has to come to an end... It's totally absurd what officials put up with on a regular basis. Without the support of the school or the state governing association, you are going to see a lot of officials walk.

Please contact the IHSAA and tell them to ban this guy!!! He has no place in high school sports. It's for the kids — not him!

"Without the support of the school or the state governing association, you are going to see a lot of officials walk"

I do not condone violence against referees at any level for any reason. I hope some of the referees do walk and maybe this will clean out the dead wood that needs to be gone!Oklahoma has more than its share of lousy officials and the OSSAA (Oklahoma Secondary School Athletic Association) will not take action to get rid of them.

The gretest compliment a referee can receive after a game is for the fans to say...."Gee, who were those guys?" Unfortunately many refs feel they are the show and should be the center of attention, not the kids and the game.

As a friend told me one time...."All basketball referees are bad, some are just worse"

regards - red

The basic problems, as I see it (not necessarly in this order);

1. There are no longer any consequences for stupid actions,
2. Over-population breeds violence, and
3. Societal boredom and complacency magnifies normally insignificant incidents into serious crises.

The incident is the only reported attack on a referee during this basketball season in Iowa, according to Bernie Saggau, executive director of the Iowa High School Athletic Association, or IHSAA.

His organization does not have the authority to ban fans from games, but he has received at least 10 telephone calls from the management of local schools that have taken that action this season, he said.

If the IHSAA does not have the authority to ban this dangerous fool from the play offs it is incumbent on the hosting schools to ban this idiot.

If he is not banned the referees should make it clear that there will be not referees on the floor at these games.

Yeah -- but that is the point actually -- most people think that all officials are horrible. Of course, they don't necessarily know the rules.

For example, at a high-school varsity playoff game this season (you would think that parents might know the rules after having their kids play basketball for years) and we had a play that demonstrated fan ignorance of the rules.

On a throw-in from the baseline (underneath the basket) in the frontcourt, the throw-in pass went, untouched, into the backcourt, where it was retrieved by the throw-in team.

About a dozen fans stood up, yelled, and motioned that it should be a backcourt violation. One woman sat down in disgust, shaking her head at the ignorance of the officials for not making the call.

Of course, by rule, you cannot have backcourt on a throw-in (this is NFHS rules -- not NBA, mind you!)

That is part of the challenge that we face day in and day out... But the support from state associations is lacking.

"Red, you seem to be missing the point. The ref could have been the worst ref in the world, and it wouldn't make this situation any different. "

I didn't miss the point...I said I do not condone violence against referees for any reason. I also agree that the fan in question should be banned but there also needs to be a method to remove officials who are lousy or biased.

regards - red

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