Referee Rips Helmet Off High School Player

The District 7-3A Division 1 matchup between the undefeated Whitney Wildcats and the previously 2-3 Dallas Madison Trojans has made national news due to an altercation between a referee and a Whitney high school player

There are several video clips circulating on social media that show the incident. In the video, the Whitney linebacker was moving back in pass coverage and collided with the referee twice. The first time they collide, the referee puts his hands out to shield himself from the player, and the player quickly steps back up into the play.

Then, a second later, the player again collides with the referee, and this time the referee makes first contact and appears to grab the helmet of the player and violently twist and rip the helmet off the player, nearly throwing the player to the ground. Then, following the play, the referee ejected the player from the game.

The UIL took to X to address the issue:

It is worth noting that the referee’s side of the story has not been shared. There are unconfirmed reports that the referee’s hand was stuck in the helmet of the player and that the player was flagged because he was warned about bumping into the referee. It is possible that the helmet being ripped off was entirely an accident. However, with what seems to be that violent of a move that led to the players’ helmet being ripped off, social media users have shared outrage at the actions of the referee and have been vocal in calling for the referee to be held accountable.