A single punch from a 17-year-old player led to the tragic death of Utah soccer referee Ricardo Portillo.
“It’s going to happen again.”
That’s the firm sentiment of official Pete McCabe and others, following the recent tragic death of longtime soccer referee Ricardo Portillo in Utah.
The over-riding sense of McCabe, a severe assault victim following a semi-pro football game, Utah High School Activities Association Supervisor of Officials Mike Petty, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill and Esse Baharmast, a current FIFA technical instructor, is that steps can be taken to control future events. But it’s likely someone else will boil over in a rage at some point, and an official will take the hit. And they all say it’s a sad reflection of the state of U.S. culture — a finger-pointing mentality, and too much jawing at officials at the professional and collegiate levels as witnessed on TV that goes unpunished.
The Life and Death of Portillo
The punch that ended Ricardo Portillo’s life occurred April 27 at Eisenhower Junior High in Taylorsville, Utah. The 46-year-old died from injuries sustained from the punch allegedly thrown by 17-year-old Jose Domingo Teran.
The game was in La Liga Continental de Futbol, a recreational league that was formed in 2009. According to Sports Illustrated, Teran was asked to play goalkeeper in the game for kids ages 13-15 because a team was short players. It was reported to be Teran’s first-ever competitive soccer game.
Gill explained that Portillo was officiating the match and yellow carded the goalkeeper after a rough play. As he was writing in his notebook, Portillo took a blow to the left rear of his head/jaw. Dazed, he went down, and began spitting blood. He related feeling nauseous, and was transported to a local hospital.
Gill said that Portillo was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, and he died on May 4.
According to the New York Times, Johana Portillo is the oldest of Ricardo’s three daughters. The Portillos moved to the U.S. from Guadalajara, Mexico, 16 years ago, she said, and her father had worked for a furniture company ever since. Her parents divorced about nine years ago, but her father found joy in his three grandchildren and loved being part of the local soccer scene.
Johana said she did not know the player’s name and was not sure “whether I want to know him. Maybe he is a boy, but he was old enough to do what he did, so he must be old enough to be responsible and take the consequences.”
“Maybe he didn’t mean to kill him. But he meant to hurt him. And because of that, he has to be responsible. He changed everything. He changed all our lives,” she said in the Times article.
A ‘Friend to Everyone’
Tony Yapias, a friend of the Portillo family, said Ricardo was a “friend to everyone.”
“He would always remind kids that this is a game,” Yapias said. “And that the players needed to remember to keep it that way.”
Yapias called the incident a “tragic accident and a big lesson for all of us. In every family and community, each member has a different role to play, whether it’s as a spectator or parent. We have to talk to kids about obeying the rules and to play by them.
“If someone commits a crime, the judge makes the call. If a referee makes the call, the kid has to accept that decision. It’s too easy to blame the ref.
“Everyone wants to win, and we all get passionate about the game. But players need to remember that the ref is a human being and has a family, too. People need to step back and remember that it’s just a game.”
Yapias said that Portillo had the right perspective.
“The way that Ricardo would explain things to kids is the way it should be — that it’s a game,” Yapias said. “No one should ever under any circumstances resort to violence. No one should have to lose a friend, neighbor, family member or loved one as we did when Ricardo lost his life while officiating this game.”
Charge of Homicide by Assault
The medical examiner ruled Portillo’s death resulted from the blow, and the DA determined the case was a homicide. Based on the Sports Illustrated story, Teran was not someone you’d expect to see throw a punch. He didn’t have any history of violent behavior. They reported that Teran looked after his two younger brothers and doted on his sister’s two young sons as well.
Gill had to decide whether to prosecute Teran as a minor or adult, as the player was over 17, but not quite 18.
He had three options to prosecute the individual as an adult: 1) direct filing — an intentional killing; 2) serious youth offender — for individuals with previous convictions in cases such as aggravated sexual assault or kidnapping; or 3) file a petition for certification with the court to have the person tried as an adult.
Gill took the third option.
“The punch was not intended to kill, so it cannot be manslaughter,” Gill said. “The charge will be homicide by assault, which is a third degree felony. The petition to certify signifies there has been a significant loss of life. We believe it is appropriate to place this case in the adult system, but have to first argue the petition in court. We’ll highlight and underscore the nature of the assault and how bad it was. The hearing should occur in the next several weeks.”
Is Assaulting a Sports Official Different?
Gill and McCabe both struggled with how society should protect sports officials and whether there should be special consideration given their unprotected status in highly volatile situations.
McCabe took his case all the way to the New York legislature, but did not succeed in his effort. Gill speculated too whether there should be a special law protecting referees.
“The challenge is that there are already rules on the book,” he said.
Barry Mano, president of the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO), said the association has pushed for making assault of a sports official more than a simple misdemeanor charge, with legislation passing in 21 states. NASO’s 19,000 members have special liability and assault insurance.
“It’s a response to the environment in which we find ourselves,” Mano said. “The environment is growing increasingly violent. About once a week, an incident of physical abuse toward a sports official is reported.”
Following the tragedy, NASO received calls from numerous national media outlets, including The New York Times, Boston Globe and HBO’s Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel, on which Mano appeared.
“Security is an absolute issue,” Mano said. “People need to invest money in having more security on site so that it removes the responsibility from the sports officials.”
Gill played sports in both high school and college. “What happened here is what’s happening to the nature of our sports,” Gill said. “We’re supposed to learn about life. But when Billy and Johnny are trash talking and the parents are trash talking, it’s a sad commentary on our society. You see it in Little League, college and the pros.
“Some sports are inherently physical. What’s not inherent in our nature is to walk up and assault an official, whether verbally or physically. We’ve lost discipline and sportsmanship because they’ve been overwhelmed by competitiveness.
“We can’t break this cycle until we change culturally as a society. When you drive your car to work in the morning, you presume you’ll get home safely. An official working a game should have the same presumption — not the presumption that this will be his last day.
“This case is an indication of what is going awry in all our sports. There’s nothing wrong with healthy competition. But there is something wrong when an official becomes a target. This is a commentary on the players, coaches and community. This has not evolved overnight. It has evolved over years.”
‘I Knew It Would Happen Again’
“I hate to stay this, but I knew it would happen again, sometime, somewhere. Sportsmanship is taken for granted in this country,” McCabe said.
His quest to pursue legislation protecting sports officials started several years ago. He was hit with a helmet by one of the players in October 2009 at the 50 yardline after officiating a semi-pro football game in Rochester, N.Y. His assailant was sentenced to 10 years in prison. But without insurance, McCabe has pursued a civil suit against the city for restitution. While there was security at the game, they had left by the time McCabe took the helmet hit to the face.
McCabe and his son fought to have special legislation put on the books in New York, but ultimately, succumbed to “politics.”
His case was in the news for a year. “But after the coverage went away, the impetus went away,” McCabe said. “Now we have someone who’s gotten killed. That should have happened to me.”
McCabe would like to see the assault of a sports official be deemed a felony as are assaults of police officers.
“Legislation is not going to stop these types of attacks,” he acknowledged, but they will continue unless something new is done. Education programs would help,” McCabe recommended, and “school officials have to step up. Severe penalties should be enacted.
“If someone is ejected from a game, they should have to go in front of a board to explain their actions,” he added. “Get the judges to enforce the laws.”
McCabe is cynical based on his experience. “Six months from now, this case will be forgotten,” he said.
The increasing level of violence, which McCabe also attributes to disrespect shown toward officials on televised sporting events, will continue to drive officials away from sports. “Guys don’t want to officiate anymore,” he said. “It becomes harder and harder to recruit and retain quality officials. It’s a sad state of affairs in this country.”
McCabe said he believes some of the problems stem from expectations: As we see replays over and over and wait for an NBA or NFL official to rule on the play, people expect perfection. “But we’re humans,” he said. “Officials don’t always get it right. NFL plays are overturned all the time, and those are the best football officials in the world.
“For the rest of us, we work all day, get out, head to our games, and we’ll miss some calls, too. But no one wants to hear it. Players know how to win, but they aren’t taught how to lose. We make mistakes every day on our jobs, but you better not make a mistake as an official.”
A Tragedy for Both Families
Baharmast called the Portillo death a “total tragedy for both families. It was a cowardly act. … One moment of insanity ruins two families.
“Unfortunately we’re seeing more and more unruliness on the sidelines from parents and it numbs people to the actions,” Baharmast continued. “You see more and more questioning of authority figures, attacks on every decision that officials make, and it’s unhealthy.”
Baharmast called for a zero tolerance policy for unruly behavior to help prevent future incidents.
“There’s a respect campaign in Colorado,” in the youth programs and at the club level, he said, “designed to show respect to the referees. It is an excellent start.”
To curtail future incidents, Baharmast recommended immediate action by officials. “One warning, then deal with it,” he said. “It’s not fun or safe” when you have players or people on the sidelines out of control. “It leaves a sour taste in the ref’s mouth.
“Bad behavior is contagious,” Baharmast suggested. “One person starts screaming, then they’re all screaming. Sport should be fun, particularly at the youth level.”
He said he is seeing bad behavior on the sidelines in youth games for the 10- and 11-year-olds. “Parents are questioning calls. Maybe the officials miss a few, just like the kids miss some plays. The expectation isn’t right,” Baharmast said. “Parents should enjoy the play of their kid. The yelling is negative, and kids start to do what their parents do. They think it’s OK. Parents are the role models.”
Take the example of a plumber or electrician, Baharmast explained, then tell them they are using the wrong tool or piece of equipment.
“They’d tell you to do it yourself,” he said, “then leave.”
When referees get told what to do, they should leave, “but we listen over and over. Referees need to put an end to this. No other profession would take it.”
More Education Needed
Clearly officiating manuals and educational resources can’t go through every scenario to prevent future assaults. But Petty believes that with more education, some violent incidents could be avoided in the future. His point is that with specific situations being taught to officials, they will become better prepared to handle an overly aggressive player, coach or fan.
“Officials need to stay calm when others get riled up,” Petty said.
He also talked about the importance of keeping officials out of verbal and physical confrontations with fans. “In high school, we let the administrators handle it, but in a case like this where there was no governing body, officials are on their own.”
Several of those interviewed for this story spoke of the lonely and scary trek an official can take from the field to his or her car, with no security or police escort. That leaves the official potentially at the mercy of unruly fans and in an extremely vulnerable situation.
Petty called on parents, coaches, educators and players to unite for a common cause that promotes sportsmanship. He’s seen that work at high school level and in club soccer. The school provides the session. The athletic director gives a sportsmanship presentation to all those noted. It’s a recommended action by the Utah High School Activities Association at the varsity level. Other levels (freshmen and junior varsity) are actively encouraged to attend as well.
“There are no excuses for what happened in this case. It could have happened in any sport at any level,” Petty observed. “We see fights happen in pro sports. Sports violence carries over to the kids.”
Portillo’s death is the first known death of a referee as a result of an assault during an organized league game in the U.S., but assaults of officials happen regularly.
Mano says there is a growing trend of physical assaults on game officials in recreational sports that is very troubling.
“It’s been a serious concern of ours ever since this association started,” Mano said. “We have seen the frequency of violence go up at the recreational level.
“Referees have been bumped, pushed, knocked down, sent to the hospital, hit with chairs. We’ve had a number of incidents where officials are leaving a tough contest and they’re accosted in the parking lot. You don’t get to smack somebody because you felt you were wronged.
“Sportsmanship issues are of great importance and concern for all leaders, not just those in the officiating community,” said Mano.
Dave Simon has written for Referee for 20 years. He officiated high school and college basketball for 18 years.
Editor’s Postscript
This article originally appeared in the August 2013 issue of Referee Magazine, while the criminal case arising from Ricardo Portillo’s death was still pending.
In August 2013, the 17-year-old player who struck Portillo pleaded guilty to homicide by assault, a third-degree felony. Prosecutors agreed to keep the case in juvenile court rather than seek prosecution as an adult. He was sentenced to juvenile detention, where he could be held until age 21. The judge also ordered him to keep a photograph of Portillo in his cell and write weekly letters to Portillo’s daughters.
The tragedy also became part of a much larger conversation about the safety of sports officials. The original article reported that Portillo’s death was believed to be the first in the United States resulting from an assault on a referee during an organized league game, while warning that physical attacks on officials were already occurring regularly.
More than a decade later, that concern has not disappeared. Assaults and harassment of officials continue to drive legislative efforts around the country. As of 2026, 24 states have laws specifically addressing assault and/or harassment of sports officials, including 22 with criminal statutes, while additional states continue to consider protections. NASO has advocated for such legislation since introducing model assault legislation in 1984.
Portillo’s death remains a sobering reminder of the stakes behind that work. The issue raised by this story in 2013 was not simply how officials should respond when behavior begins to escalate, but what the entire sports community must do to ensure that someone working a game can reasonably expect to go home safely when it is over.
Related: 2026 Sports Officials Legislative Scorecard
