[mikehancho25]

Sounds good doesn't it? Well its better than good. It is the end of cheap refs that let things happen on the field and make game costing calls that never even happened. I'll try to sum it up for you but it's not just a concept the bill is near completion and will be pushed through when Kentucky congress unites in 2014. The idea is this: In an age where almost everything is captured on film and everyone (well almost everyone) has their own mini camera in their smartphone, or the people that are filming the games for other purposes will be able to send their film of a blatantly bad call to Frankfort to be seen by a committee of retired coaches that are chosen by the KHSAA to view the call being made (or not being made) by a ref. If this referee is found guilty of making a blatantly bad decision (I don't mean just the mistake calls that any ref could make) three times by this committee he is then banned from ever being a referee in Kentucky High School athletics with no way back in. This will eliminate the hits in the back that don't get called and the eye scratching (I have a scar from that s***). Almost every game is determined by the ability of the opposing teams but some games are helped out by the striped law. I don't know the full details and regulations that will be tied to this but I just got off the phone with the man that is going to do all he can to push this bill through. The way I see it is the only people that have to worry are the refs letting things go, and making calls to influence the outcome of the game. Now people that gripe about getting bad calls can pull their phones out and make an attempt to do something about it.

[Mastadon89]

The only thing i worry about is how much pressure this puts on the refs. If this goes through i worry for the psyche of the refs going into a game. If they worry about calls the whole game im worried theyll start throwing flags all over the field and slow down the rhythm of the game which would make it unwatchable, like the NFL is now. I like the idea of having a comitee to try and regulate calls and safety precautions though.

[BlueCrew34]

These refs are not making huge salaries, start over regulating them and you won't have officials to call a checkers match.

[RunItUpTheGut]

I have no problem with this, however i know this state and i know the committee, and they will take it too far.

[maximus73]

Over regulation kills. Just look at the country. It's destroying our industry and now high school sports. We've all seen ref's we want to choke but the are human , well most of them .Has anyone reported a ref for making a bad call in favor of their team?:dontthink

[rustyankle]

The refs don't determine the outcome so quit crying if you have to complain about cheap shots then maybe football wasn't your sport , its part of the game

[RamPride]

The refs don't determine the outcome so quit crying if you have to complain about cheap shots then maybe football wasn't your sport , its part of the game

You must live in a hole to think that Refs do not control the outcome of a game. They do, they will and they talk about it.

[nky]

This is a dumb idea. It will delay games beyond belief, most schools don't have the same type of video setup as others-is this proposal saying all schools should get a set standard of video recorder and playback system? Who will pay for that. Will this cover all sports? again who will pay for that?
Play the game and quit complaining about the refs.

[nky]

Will the bill also set a time amount for all players to play? That would be fair. Does the losing team have to supply juice boxes and orange slices after the game?

[panther nation]

The refs don't determine the outcome so quit crying if you have to complain about cheap shots then maybe football wasn't your sport , its part of the game

This really has nothing to do with the outcome of the game. It's about the safety of the players. CHEAP shot!!! Are not part of the game!! How would you feel if your kid was paralyzed from a cheap shot??? Would you say oh that's just part of the game?? I think not!! There is not place in sports for this kind of dirty play, I like the concept, but as with everything in khssa it will go overboard with it.

It's there a way to fix this growing problem I'm not sure. But one thing is for sure. Cheap shots are not part of the game!!!!

[nky]

Education is the key here. The local Coaches associations need to make a push for quality coaches and officals. Legislation will not do this. In Northern Kentucky we have a great coaches association and a ref association that work together for the benefit of all involved
http://www.kfca.info/

http://www.nkoafootball.org/

[panther nation]

Education is the key here. The local Coaches associations need to make a push for quality coaches and officals. Legislation will not do this. In Northern Kentucky we have a great coaches association and a ref association that work together for the benefit of all involved
http://www.kfca.info/

http://www.nkoafootball.org/

That's the problem we don't have a standard across the state. You should have the same no matter what part of the state you play.

[ROCKSOLID69]

alot of pressure on the refs. good idea tho

[MustangSally]

Good coaches would not tolerate "cheat shots" and refs should be in charge of the game and not permit players to push the boundaries

[mikehancho25]

^Maybe pressure on the refs to make the right call is what we need to have a better clean cut game of football. As it stands right now, a ref can do whatever he wants on the field with no consequences, players can't, coaches can't, there needs to be a balance. Maybe make incentives like a pay raise for referees that do not get proven guilty in a case for a certain amount of time. Then it benefits both sides.

[Spirit100]

Will the bill also set a time amount for all players to play? That would be fair. Does the losing team have to supply juice boxes and orange slices after the game?

nicker:

[rustyankle]

This really has nothing to do with the outcome of the game. It's about the safety of the players. CHEAP shot!!! Are not part of the game!! How would you feel if your kid was paralyzed from a cheap shot??? Would you say oh that's just part of the game?? I think not!! There is not place in sports for this kind of dirty play, I like the concept, but as with everything in khssa it will go overboard with it.

It's there a way to fix this growing problem I'm not sure. But one thing is for sure. Cheap shots are not part of the game!!!!

Don't preach to me I have watched my son get airlifted from the field to UK hospital my point is you can't take the physical nature out of the game then it be just soccer. And you watch any football game every play there is a cheap shot somewhere it is what it is

[Walt Longmire]

Nice law. You'll have no refs within 5 years.

[insideinfo]

I really do not see this working, the Lexington Louisville area may have enough officials to let some go. Some of the eastern parts of the state has a hard time getting enough officials as is now, I can not see them letting any go. I know around here in football there is a couple really good crews and a couple that are terrible. One of the problem is the assigning secretary should assign his best crews to the best games and quit playing favorites this would solve a whole lot of the problems. Also in basketball you will go to real heated rivalry game and see three of the weaker referee in the region working it. They need some kind of grading system and assign by that with the best referee getting the best games.

[EKUAlum05]

Greta idea in theory, the question remains how will it look once it is executed and the pressure is actually put on.

I think the "permanently banned" part is where the problem is going to be. You are talking about essentially going to the strictest punishment possible from the previous system with no punishment at all. This screams to me that politics will get involved and the "god ole boy" system will make sure certain decisions are made or are swept under the rug. Also, you are talking about reputations and finances here... which means if a decision to ban is passed down.. you are going to see officials "lawyer up" which in turn means the committee and the State has to lawyer up. Lots of financial backlash there and unwanted press.

I think this will be the fatal flaw for this ever getting off the ground. A better system to administer sentencing will be needed where it starts with demoting (Not allowed to call playoff games), restriction (not allowed to work certain districts or regions), and suspension (not allowed to call games for 6 weeks, then not allowed to call games for a season). The banning is only administered for repeat offenders who have continued to fail in spite of prior sanctions or officials deemed to make serious or negligent lapses in judgements such as proof of payment, allowing a serious injury from repeated negligence in a game, and physcial altercations with fans/players.

At the end of the day you are trying to enforce punishment on a judgement call in an imperfect system. Every fan and their uncle will submit every "bad" call and it is unfair to expect officials to be flawless... heck...pro officials botch calls every game. Would love to see something like this executed, but sadly I feel there will be wayyyyyy too many pitfalls from a financial and legal standpoint.

[PHS Coach]

This will never happen at least not to the degree stated by "mikehancho25". Sports as we know it would cease.

For those critics who would like to become an official all you have to do is submit your information to KHSAA, pay your fees and take your test. Good luck.

[hardcore1]

No offense but doesn't our state government have bigger things to worry about then a high school referee. Hey if the KHSAA wants to do something fine, but I fine it to be a terrible use of my tax dollars. The state congress needs to focus on other things like the outrageous soring cost of post secondary education, the drug epidemic that is sweeping our state, etc. This is the wrong place for this to be fooled with. Hey refs miss calls all the time. I will say I have saw some bad ones, but every coach and school has the right and ability to send the film to their assigning secretary or even Mr. Tackett at the KHSAA for them to review.

[FlippedOut]

This is a terrible idea. Refs do a good job. They are never going to see everything. They have a check system. Coaches can scratch refs if they don't want them. Refs are not the problem, just a good scapegoat.

[64SUR]

This would solve a lot of problem with ref's sideline ref's need to wear ear plug and quit letting sideline wanna be coaches (booster or fan) who walk the sideline screening at ref's for 4 quarters and just maybe the ref's can do a better job on making calls.an a cheap shot is a cheap shot an should be throw out of the game and the next game period :please:I can take the heat :poker face:

[nky]

This would solve a lot of problem with ref's sideline ref's need to wear ear plug and quit letting sideline wanna be coaches (booster or fan) who walk the sideline screening at ref's for 4 quarters and just maybe the ref's can do a better job on making calls.an a cheap shot is a cheap shot an should be throw out of the game and the next game period :please:I can take the heat :poker face:

The head coach should control his sidelines not the side judge. If you have boosters/fans/coaches on the sideline riding the sideline judge. That judge should deal with it within the confines of the rules. :coach::ref2::ref1:15 yards unsportsmanlike conduct or ejections

[Hitters_Count]

For those critics who would like to become an official all you have to do is submit your information to KHSAA, pay your fees and take your test. Good luck.

This is part of the problem, anybody can take the test and pass it. Dont let anyone kid you, officials get paid well for what time and effort most put into it. In the 13th region, the majority of officials have no clue about the game they are calling. They are the only ones who can make calls and never be held accountable. Most are more worried about what is going on in the stands rather than doing their job. God forbid someone yell out of the stands about a missed call, they may draw the ire of the "Perfect" Official calling that contest. I have heard basketball officials in the 13th stand and tell coaches and fans they dont miss or make bad calls. Really?

[footballfever]

I'm not sure what the answer is but there DOES need to be some accountability.
Judgement calls are just that but out of position, lack of hustle, not knowing rules are things that shouldnt happen.
I still think there should not be crews. I think officials should be assigned a different White Hat every week and also a different position every week.
Thoughts, opinions please????

[PRIDE101]

To be professional do teams have a different QB every week and different positions every week. I think just the opposite. Should be very good at their position.

Officials are held accountable.

This rule or whatever it is , waste of time.

[HSFOOTBALL]

I don't understand how this is for Child Safety ... The Refs aren't delivering the cheap shots, the kids are. Maybe they should look into so many unsportsmanlike penalties for a player result in a hefty suspension.

This law seems pointless, and if it is not for child safety and to improve on fairness of the game, my response would be that cheap shots have nothing to do with the game. That is why they are called cheap shots, they have nothing to do with the play.

[MayfieldCardinal]

Assignind secretaries currently have power to do same thing as this