Referee assault renews interest in state bill
As a young athlete at Syracuse University in the late 1940s, Peter McCabe Sr. learned the importance of sportsmanship from such icons as legendary football coach Ben Schwartzwalder.
“It was all about sportsmanship and respecting the rights of others and, after the game was over, win or lose, you’d stand up and shake hands or say a prayer,” he said.
McCabe, now 80, instilled that value in his son, Peter McCabe Jr., and his grandson, Peter McCabe III.
Nothing prepared him for the evening of Oct. 24, when he learned that his son, while refereeing a semiprofessional football game in Rochester, had suffered a devastating injury when a player allegedly smashed him in the face with a helmet after a hard-fought contest.
Peter McCabe Jr. is now recovering from his injuries and Leon R. Woods is facing a felony charge of first-degree assault. But the attack has prompted the McCabes to get behind a long-stalled proposal that would make it easier for criminal charges to be brought against those who injure or harass sports officials.
Under the legislation, sponsored by state Assemblywoman Francine DelMonte, D-Lewiston, Niagara County, anyone who intentionally injures a sports official on the field or its associated facilities would be guilty of a felony of second-degree assault, which is punishable by up to seven years in prison.
The legislation also would create a new misdemeanor offense of aggravated harassment of a sports official, punishable by up to one year in jail, for anyone who hits, shoves, kicks, physically contacts or spits on a sports official.
Woods faces a more serious charge than the proposed law would allow because of the severe injuries he is accused of inflicting. But McCabe Jr.’s son said the legislation is a good start toward restoring order to often-heated sporting events.
“It lets people know, if you’re going to do this, you’re going to face the consequences,” said Peter McCabe III, a certified athletic trainer at Niagara University. “It happened to my dad but it could have happened to any member of his crew or anyone else.”
The proposed legislation was first introduced in the Legislature in 1997 but has never made it out of committees of the Senate or Assembly. DelMonte said the injuries suffered by McCabe could be the impetus she needs.
“We need to protect the men and women who officiate athletic contests from what is a disturbing and growing trend of violence,” she said. “I am in the process of gathering statistics on the frequency of these incidents and believe they occur more often than people realize.”
In a memo to justify the legislation, the bill’s backers said it was prompted by an increasing number of assaults against sports officials, many of whom volunteer their time because of their love of a sport. “The continuance of such abuse will only result in a decrease in the number of individuals willing to officiate games which will ultimately limit the number of sporting events conducted in New York state,” the memo said.
Indeed, in the wake of the attack, the Rochester Chapter of Certified Football Officials said it will no longer assign its members to officiate games played by three semiprofessional teams in the Rochester area.
Referee Ric Hamblin, president of the organization, supports the legislation.
“Anything that would have some kind of repercussions for people who attack officials would be a good thing,” he said. “Of course, I don’t know if legislation will actually stop anyone who is angry and decides on the spur of the moment to attack an official. But it’s something to have after the fact so a person can be punished, and maybe help prevent someone else from doing it.”
The legislation has the support of the National Association of Sports Officials, which successfully lobbied to enact similar laws in 11 other states, and the New York State Association of Certified Sports Officials.
McCabe, 54, of Lakeville, Livingston County, was injured after a game at Rochester’s Edgerton Park between the Western New York Cougars of Rochester and the Glove Cities Colonials of Johnstown, Fulton County.
After the game, which the Rochester team lost, witnesses said they saw a player for the Rochester team run up to McCabe on the sideline. The player held his helmet by its facemask and swung it into McCabe’s face “like a weapon,” referee Robert Lockhart told police, according to court documents. “It was like a roundhouse punch.”
Another referee, Michael Viterise, said he saw McCabe lying on the ground and heard Woods say, “This is what I am about” as Woods walked past him and left the stadium.
McCabe, who has been a football referee for 25 years, suffered severe cuts and a broken nose and jaw. He underwent reconstructive surgery and was hospitalized for a week.
“It’s stunning that someone would do something like this,” he said, declining to comment further.
Woods, 23, who is free on bail, has been indicted and is scheduled to be arraigned next Friday in Monroe County Court. If convicted, he faces a mandatory prison term ranging from five years to 25 years.
MZEIGLER@DemocratandChronicle.com
Background
Peter McCabe III is rallying support for the legislation on his Facebook page. To view it, type “Official Awareness” in the Facebook search function or go to: www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=173497078116&ref=ts.
