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Incident in Black and White (Referee 2/96) — It could have happened to any official anywhere. California high school football official Ken Smotrys was assaulted by a player, punched in the face. Assaults were becoming increasingly common throughout the ‘90s, so what was the big deal? It was alleged by some of the players that Smotrys, who is white, called a player a “nigger.” It didn’t help that the game was rife with racial undertones before the incident, pitting a primarily white Beverly Hills team against a primarily black south-central Los Angeles team from Compton. Smotrys’ story was picked up by the national media. The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) suspended Smotrys and all parties spent the better part of a year dealing with lawyers and lawsuits. In the end, Smotrys was exonerated and reinstated by the CIF. However, the incident continues to resonate throughout Smotrys life and officiating career, and has implications for all officials as they could easily find themselves dragged into similar situations. |