2 in trouble with law after game gets out of hand

Two men are in trouble with the law after a youth basketball game allegedly got out of hand in Farr West, including a racial slur and even a mooning over calls made by referees.

Weber County sheriff's deputies said a 39-year-old Roy man became upset when a referee called a foul on his son during a championship game March 11 between two basketball teams from Roy. It came during the last few moments when one team was coming from behind, said Lt. Doug Coleman.

"The referee whistled a foul on the player. He made a comment, got a 'T' (technical foul), made another comment, got an ejection 'T,' " Coleman said Friday. "This caused the player to tell the ref that she (expletive)."

Deputies said one of the team's coaches then came over and got into the argument between player and referee. Coleman said the father then came down out of the stands to defend his son.

"He jumped down on the floor in front of several young children and said to the ref, 'This one's for you!' and dropped his trousers," he said. Several young girls told police he exposed his buttocks and genitals to them.

A few minutes later, the game was canceled when deputies said a 48-year-old Roy man made a racial comment to another referee.

"He called the ref a dumb (expletive). The ref told him to get a life," Coleman said.

Then, also referring to the black referee's race, the man repeated the slur.

Police said the man had to be restrained as he walked to the scorekeeper's table and then got into an argument with another parent who objected to his choice of words. The police ended up being called to the Farr West Recreation Center to handle the disputes. The 48-year-old was cited for disorderly conduct and improper registration on his car, Coleman said. The 39-year-old was arrested at his home and booked into the Weber County Jail on investigation of lewdness and disorderly conduct and later released on bail.

Representatives of the Farr West Recreation Center did not return calls for comment Friday.

Last month, Cedar City police said a 33-year-old woman attacked the referee of a children's basketball game over fouls called during the game for fifth- and sixth-grade boys.

"She grabbed her by the hair, threw her to the ground and kicked her a couple of times," Cedar City Police Sgt. Jerry Womack said at the time. The referee, who was five months pregnant, was taken to the hospital to be checked out. The woman was cited for assault and released.

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