Let It Lie

"It's not a lie if you believe it." -- George to Jerry in a classic line from a Seinfeld TV episode

Never would I have believed this till I experienced for myself officiating on the sidelines at a youth football game.

Following a pass play down the sidelines, I suddenly encountered a sudden impact on my shoulder. It was a face. A coach's face. A coach's face where the face of a coach shouldn't have been during a live part of a football game. Ouch. That would be him as I was relatively unfazed by the contact. He, on the other hand, stood stooped over clutching his lower jaw looking as if he may begin to start spitting out teeth. I noted this as the play ended and was returning to my position on the line after the incomplete pass. And by rule as I passed him, threw a penalty flag at his feet. "That will cost you 15 yards for contacting an official," I verbalized to his.

"Whaath!" he exclaimed, as I proceeded to report the infraction to my referee for the enforcement.

And this is where it got interesting or disturbing, you can choose.

The referee decided to explain the penalty to the coach. What a sight as he tried to generate sympathy by remaining stooped over and clutching at the offended part of his face. And streaming out the denial that I did this intentionally and he was where he was supposed to be and it was my fault.

Referee then returns to center of field, yours truly returns to his post on the sidelines, now noticeably clear of coaches standing where they weren't supposed to be.

And then he did it. He couldn't keep his mouth shut, even as he still was holding it with his hand like it was a baby bird.

"I wath where I wath thuppothed thu be and you hith me," came from his lips.

I saw red.

I turned and said, "Excuse me."

"I wath where I wath thuppothed thu be and you hith me, ran righht intho me."

Somewhat shocked, and gazing not only at him but the 5th graders and assistant coaches looking at me as well awaiting my response, I lost my temper.

"You mean to tell me you are going to stand there and LIE to me in front of these kids and your coaches about where you were standing to make it seem that I am the bad guy. Despicable. You are supposed to be a mentor and a teacher and you are going to LIE to me. I know where you were standing. I hit you. If you were standing where you say you were standing I would have run into about 10 of your players or coaches and would have run down my chain crew as well before I ever even got to hitting you. I don't seem to remember hitting anyone but you. That's because they were where they were supposed to be and you weren't. Now are you going to keep trying to lie to me? Because if you are I am going to throw another flag on you as well as toss you out of here and you can watch the rest of this game from the parking lot. Well?"

He backed into the coaches box where he faithfully remained for the rest of the game.

And I hope by those that witnessed me standing against the lie, they may have learned a bit about personal responsibility and integrity.

A few plays later, the guy on the down-box indicator said that he thought I gave the guy a bit of a forearm shiv as I ran into him. Then he smiled and laughed.

Maybe I did and maybe I didn't. An official has to protect himself out there.

"By a lie, a man... annihilates his dignity as a man." -- Immanuel Kant