Guardian accused of assaulting 2 referees at highschool hockey sport in Massachusetts – CBS Boston

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By Victoria D
Up to date on: January 16, 2025 / 10:44 PM EST / CBS Boston
TAUNTON – A dad or mum is accused of assaulting two referees at a boys highschool hockey sport in Massachusetts earlier this month, police stated.
The sport was between Taunton Excessive College and Mansfield Excessive College and occurred on Jan. 4 on the Foxboro Sports activities Middle in Foxboro. Police stated they collected video proof from the sport and interviewed witnesses and the referees. 
Based on the Nationwide Ice Hockey Officers Affiliation – Massachusetts Chapters, a Taunton lady bodily confronted the referees after the sport, “stopping the officers from persevering with to the locker room.” The girl allegedly left earlier than police have been in a position to contact her. They stated a Taunton man was additionally ejected from the rink for verbal abuse.
The dad or mum of one of many gamers will probably be summoned to Wrentham District Court docket the place a clerk Justice of the Peace will decide if there may be possible trigger for prison costs. Police didn’t identify the dad or mum nor say what precisely the prison costs are.
“The issue is simply getting worse,” Mike Ober of the NIHOA advised WBZ. Ober is a ref who has seen harassment earlier than.
“We’ve to do higher,” Ober stated. “As mother and father you have to do higher, and please cease. Let the gamers play, coaches coach and referees ref.” 
The NIHOA says it has been calling on the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Affiliation to do extra to guard referees, like an escort to and from the locker rooms.
“Taunton Public Colleges works onerous to create and preserve a optimistic, welcoming ambiance at athletic occasions. We maintain our student-athletes and scholar and grownup spectators to excessive requirements, and violations of our spectator expectations or the Hockomock League fan expectations usually are not tolerated and will probably be disciplined accordingly,” stated a spokesperson for Taunton Public Colleges in an announcement. “Taunton Excessive College Athletics has been a frontrunner in working with skilled organizations to offer coaching {and professional} improvement for coaches, crew captains, and student-athletes to eradicate hate in sports activities and promote sportsmanship and respect.”
“The MIAA constantly helps and has introduced consciousness to the suitable therapy and security of all sport officers,” stated the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Affiliation in an announcement. “As well as, the MIAA has been partaking elected state officers relative to proposed laws at present earlier than the Massachusetts Home of Representatives.”
Based on the NIHOA, this proposed laws would institute necessary minimal penalties for assault or “aggravated harassment” of sports activities officers. They stated the payments have been lingering on the State Home for practically 15 years.
That is the second time Taunton Excessive College’s hockey crew has been a part of an assault on a referee at a sport. In 2015, an assistant coach of the hockey crew was arrested for allegedly biting a referee’s finger after a sport between Taunton Excessive College and King Philip Excessive College.
Victoria D. is a digital producer for CBS Boston. Earlier than becoming a member of CBS Boston in 2023, Victoria had already labored in journalism in each New York and Boston for greater than 10 years.
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