Arizona Referee Fired For Racist "joke"

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

A referee in Tucson, Arizona was fired for making a heavy, racist prank while trying to break the ice before a game with the coach, whose daily job is with the United States Border Patrol.

The Arizona Interscholastic Association fired the official, who asked the coach if he knew if his students, who are in junior high at Pueblo High School, had green cards.

89 percent of the students who attend this school are Hispanic.

Incidentally, the comment came on Tuesday, the same day that President Donald Trump delivered a live television address explaining why the federal government is worth shutting down to defend a border wall.

It was thanks to a Facebook post that went viral overnight that he praised the Pueblo High School players for playing class after the comment was made.

The woman who wrote the post, Patricia Coleman, is the mother of one of the Pueblo players.

"Most of the children had never witnessed or participated in this type of racism," the mother told the Arizona Daily Star.

According to the cited publication, the fired official knew the Pueblo basketball coach and knew that he worked for the Border Patrol. The officer was overheard making a joke, asking to see the green cards from the Pueblo team.

However, the exact comment he made is not known at this time, but they do indicate that it was heard by several friends and family of the team's players.

The arbitrator, whose name remains anonymous, was fired for violating the AIA code of ethics and conduct. So far the referee has not commented, but according to the Daily Star reports, he told the AIA that it was a "humorous attempt".