Bills protecting youth refs makes way to WA Legislature after hockey incident
Two bills aimed to protect WA youth referees
Right now, a pair of bills in Olympia aim to impose stricter penalties for anyone who harasses and attacks referees during school events.
OLYMPIA, Wash. - Two bills aimed at helping prevent assaults at schools and during extracurricular activities are making their way through the Washington State Legislature.
This comes after a parent was caught on camera pushing two teenage referees to the ground during a youth hockey game just days ago.
Bob West has made it his life mission to advocate against these types of assaults against sports officials.
(File / FOX 13)
The backstory:
He was a referee 30 years ago when a wrestler headbutted him, which knocked him unconscious. "I actually quit breathing for 10 seconds," West said. "I could have lost my life." He had four neck surgeries. That moment ended his officiating career and led him to becoming an advocate.
"Referees are being assaulted all across the United States and across the world, and this is the problem that we're having, is we're losing referees," West said.
He said the video of the parent assaulting two young refs at a Seattle youth hockey game is just one of hundreds of assaults that happen against sports officials, and he says more needs to be done, which is why he supports HB 1085 and SB 5272.
"Basically, they're the same thing, just coming from both sides of the legislature," West said. Both bills aim at improving school safety by implementing penalties for those who harass or assault referees or officials at school events or during extracurricular activities.
"If a sports official is assaulted, [there] would be up to a gross misdemeanor and punishable criminally and the individual could be banned from a venue for up to a year, I believe it is, for first offense," West said.
What's next:
On Thursday, SB 5272 received a ‘do pass’ recommendation and moved to the rules committee. HB 1085 also moved out of committee on Tuesday.
For West, this is one step closer to the accountability he and other referees have been fighting for. "People got to know if you cross that line, that there are consequences, these people are no different than law enforcement officers that are doing their jobs, medical people, bus drivers and so forth," West said.
In 2023, the National Association of Sports surveyed more than 35,000 sport officials and found half of them felt unsafe or feared for their safety because of a coach, player or spectator.
As for that parent seen in the video at the youth hockey game, he has since been suspended from all participation in any USA Hockey-sanctioned activity within the jurisdiction of the Pacific Northwest Amateur Hockey Association.
The Source: Information comes from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle reporter Shirah Matsuzawa.
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