Game day thuggery

No Excuses

Regarding “Furor over hit on ref growing” (Page A1, Wednesday), something must be seriously amiss with the football program at San Antonio’s John Jay High School for it to have four players ejected from a single game for “unsportsmanlike conduct,” including throwing a punch at an opponent. And who makes a late hit on a quarterback taking a knee in the final play of the game?

Alleged racially disparaging remarks should in no way mitigate the actions of the two players who perpetrated the blindside attack on a defenseless referee.

Aletha Evert, Houston

Prosecute them

Regarding “Player who hit referee stayed in the game” (Page B2, Tuesday), this is another example of someone not respecting a person hired to administer rules whether it be for a game or life itself.

This is also an example of what is happening in today’s society where people are not showing respect for somebody in authority.

The actions of those students violate not only rules of sportsmanship and the game of football but were also an assault. They should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law to show others that actions like this will not be tolerated.

Robert M. Louie, Houston

Bad actions

For high school football players, a coach’s word is gospel, to be followed without question. It is not surprising to hear that something said by a coach may have been interpreted by the two players who ambushed a referee during last week’s game in Marble Falls as a license to tee off against the ref.

It’s hard to believe that they could have felt that this was acceptable conduct if not sanctioned expressly or implicitly by one of their coaches. The allegation has been made that the targeted ref had used racial slurs against the players. So what? Nothing can justify this cowardly attack that could have caused the referee serious injury.

Such an assault against any participant, much less a referee, is criminal and has no place in football. These two players should have played their last football game, and any coaches who encouraged them or failed to rein them in should be looking for new careers.

Tom Moore, Katy