Malcolm Easley, a defender for Glencliff High School in Tennessee, has been suspended one game by the team after appearing to hit a referee during a game against Gallatin High School last week. Easley, whose father is the head coach, was lined up to the right of field umpire Kyle Gill before the snap, and bulldozed him as he followed the play. Easley will not be disciplined by the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association. The school believes nothing untoward happened. But Gill told the Gallatin News that he thought it was "pretty obvious what went down."Gill claims he and Easley had a minor disagreement on the previous play.
Advertisement
Easley, who was hit with a personal foul on the play, was reportedly warned that he was getting too close to the referees earlier in the game as well.It appears the Athletic Association didn't feel comfortable punishing Easley based on the video evidence. To their credit, this is not as blatantly obvious as the John Jay incident. To their discredit, it does look like Easley looks over to see where the ref was right before the snap."I had spoken to the player on the play before and he told me that I was in his way," Gill said. "I asked him how long he'd been playing football and he had to realize that the referees are part of the field. I told him that he should have to avoid me and not the other way around. On the very next play, you saw what happened."
Easley's coach and father said that in addition to the one-game ban, Easley will have to take some kind of class, and write a letter to Gill."We reviewed the film and determined that there was no malicious intent and so there will be no further disciplinary action from us," TSSAA assistant executive director Matthew Gillespie said. "You look at it and break it down as much as you can, but our staff reviewed it several times and basically the player is running in the direction of the ball-carrier and he hit the official."