High school wrestling referee grabs kid by the throat (with video)

Ref has good stage presence, projects well, great gesticulations... good pro wrestler material.

 

If he didn't do anything, the person filming it would not have edited it out.

I lurked some other message boards, and I guess it was a heated match, and the "choked" kid started to go after the other kid after a break.

Also, why was the head coach not at this match?

The ref was wrong. If his hand was six inches lower, we probably would not even have this thread, but it was not, and that will probably cost him his reffing career.

 

If the kid went after another kid, then his season should be over, at least. Maybe all his seasons.

 

Is pushing and shoving after the whistle common in high school wrestling?

 

I've covered maybe a dozen matches, never seen it. But I'd say there's a difference between pushing when you happen to be close to one another right after the whistle, and "going after," so I'd guess we'd have to know exactly what was done.

 

I doubt the kid is an angel, too. It sounds like he went after his opponent after action had stopped and a whistle had been blown. If that's the case the kid was clearly in the wrong and should've been penalized for it; depending on how bad it was, even tossed.

But there's no justification for the ref putting his hand up around the kid's throat. I am still surprised at how calm the kid stayed at that point. I wonder if he was just shocked the ref was coming at him.

 

I agree with this. I've been to hundreds of wrestling matches and seen a few rare situations get out of hand after a match. But it's not common.

A little jostling after the whistle can be very common though. So it is important to get a better description -- it'd be nice to see the video -- of what the kid did before the ref went after him.

 

Is there some significance to the kid taking off the headgear while on the mat?

I read on another board that this kid's team was a very good team, but a very agressive team, and that the coach was out because he was suspended. I have no idea of that is true or not.

Still, I would love to see the 10-20 seconds before the "choking" incident.

 

You're not supposed to take it off on the mat, but it's not as rigid of a rule as the helmet on the football field. Since it was the end of the match, though, there's not a whole they're going to do about it.

 

Anyone who thinks this guy should be barred from reffing for the rest of his life should get a fucking clue. That was nothing. In no way shape or form was that wrestler in any danger whatsoever. You are all a bunch of pussies.

 

And you have anger issues. Moving on...

 

A few points - first, the reporter explained in the comments on the link that there is no extra footage that has been edited; he had not been shooting anything until this began to unfold. Next, the ref reminds me of Steve Wilkos, Jerry Springer's former hired muscle who inexplicably got a talk show of his own and who seems to delight in telling disagreeable guests to "get off my stage!!" in a voice that is, strangely, equal parts aggrieved and whiny. Lastly, I'm wondering if Jimmy McNulty is more the loud, obnoxious ref type or the pant-pissing kid who is good for cheap shots but who will then back-pedal when someone with authority gets in their face and takes physical control of them. Thoughts??