A violent fight broke out at a fourth-grade basketball game in Lakewood, Colorado — but it was three referees, and not the players, involved in the melee.
An all-out brawl erupted between three referees at a youth basketball game, and it was caught on video.
Basketball referees are expected to maintain the peace between players on the court, but not these guys.
The violent fight broke out at a fourth-grade basketball game in Lakewood, Colorado — but it was the referees, and not the players, who started brawling.
Video of the incident shows one referee lunging at his fellow officiant with his fist raised in the air.
Then, just as he goes in for the swing, another referee joins the melee.
This sends two of the referees crashing to the ground, at which point two men from the sidelines rush onto the court in an attempt to break up the fight.
At that point it becomes a free-for-all, with one referee even getting tackled before the fight is finally broken up,
"As someone who tracks all things associated with travel basketball ... I’ve never seen anything like this," wrote OutKick editor Joe Kinsey of the debacle. "I’ve seen parents fighting refs. I’ve seen travel basketball players beat the crap out of a ref in Georgia. I’ve seen players fighting. I’ve seen coaches fighting. I’ve seen players swinging at coaches."
He then added: "I’ve never seen refs fighting each other, but here we are at this crossroads in youth athletics."
The three referees involved in the brawl are now suspended indefinitely, and the sports league issued a statement.
"Let this also be a reminder to everyone that Gold Crown has zero tolerance for any adult behavior that puts the kids experience or safety at risk," said Gold Crown, the group that runs the league and the field house where the fight broke out. "Again, our sincerest apologies to everyone who had to witness the incident this morning. We look forward to getting our league back on track, and resume what will be a great season for the kids."
