US Lawmaker Tries To Pull Down Referee's Pants At A High School Basketball Game After Disagreeing With Official's Call
In a bizarre incident, a lawmaker from US' Tennessee tried to pull down the pants of a referee during a high school basketball game after he disagreed with the official¡¯s call.
In a bizarre incident, a lawmaker from US' Tennessee tried to pull down the pants of a referee during a high school basketball game after he disagreed with the official¡¯s call.
State Representative Jeremy Faison has since publicly apologised after the incident caused outrage, and admitted he simply ¡°lost my junk.¡±
Facebook/Providence Academy
The incident occurred in the third quarter of the game, after the referee called a technical foul on both teams for unsportsman-like conduct, The Tennessean reports.
Faison walked down to the court and tried to intervene while referees worked to defuse tension between both teams, leading game official Paul Pendleton to demand Faison leave the gym.
But Faison instead lost his cool and in fits of anger yelled ¡°You can¡¯t tell me to leave the floor, this was your fault!¡± before suddenly bending down to pull down the pants of Pendleton. In a report filed with the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association, Pendleton said Faison had tried to pull his pants ¡°down and off.¡±
The incident reportedly ended with Faison walking out as someone yelled for the police to be called, though officers ultimately were not called and no charges were filed.
On Tuesday, Faison, posted on Twitter that he ¡°acted the fool tonight and lost my temper on a ref.¡±
I acted the fool tonight.
¡ª Rep. Jeremy Faison (@JeremyFaison4TN) January 5, 2022
I¡¯m hoping to be able to make it right. pic.twitter.com/W8PINvTue5
¡°I was wanting him to fight me. Totally lost my junk and got booted from the gym,¡± Faison wrote. ¡°I¡¯ve never really lost my temper but I did tonight and it was completely stupid of me. Emotions getting in the way of rational thoughts are never good. I hope to be able to find the ref and ask for his forgiveness. I was bad wrong.¡±
¡°For years I thought how wrong it is when a parent loses their temper at a sporting event. It¡¯s not Christian and it¡¯s not mature and it¡¯s embarrassing to the child," Faison added in his statement.
Faison did not specifically mention the pants-pulling-down gesture in his post.
Facebook/Jeremy Faison
Providence Academy, a private religious school in Johnson City, livestreamed the boys game Tuesday against Lakeway Christian Academy, a private religious school in White Pine. Faison's son is on the Lakeway team.
According to the video, Faison shows up on the court talking to a referee, who appears to call a technical foul.
Faison is shown pointing a finger at the referee's face and then gestures as if he were trying to pull down the referee's pants.
Faison represents District 11, which contains Cocke County and parts of Jefferson and Greene counties, according to WVLT.
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