Honestjohnny: I agree with just about everything you are saying and EVERYBODY needs to behave in a sportsmanlike manner. Obviously that didn't happen here. Yes, much [I won't go so far as to say most] of the time players/coaches/parents are just bitter about losing or not getting calls. But, the sad fact of the matter is that this specific ref has a tremendous history when it comes to losing control of his games and giving what can only be described as disputed, arbitrary and unbalanced technical fouls. I can't personally put this game into perspective given who this particular ref is. I'm not excusing the behavior of the students or the grandmother in way, shape, or form but to automatically excuse this ref (YET AGAIN) would be irresponsible.

To "Honest Johnny:" Um, isn't it the referee's job to keep control of the game? But again, just a brief history lesson on this particular ref would show that this was just par for the course. And, it's great that you know the refs who did this game. Two out of the three are really good. I've seen them all in action too. Yep, it's hard to be a referee. But if you are a ref, which it obviously sounds like you are, then you can't sit here and tell me (or any coach/player/parent) that this hasn't happened too many times with this one particular ref. You know what I'm talking about and you can't defend it no matter how much you try.

So many people here are commenting that there are proper channels to go though. Guess what? There are no channels to go through and WIAA doesn't even allow appeals like this story is reporting. There is no such thing as an appeal within WIAA--even when there is clear videotape evidence to the contrary. Been there, tried that and got shut down. I hope that KOMO follows up on this story because this is a real serious issue for a lot of kids and a lot of adults (it's not "just a game" to a lot of people who invest thousands of hours of their time to our community's kids). Don't let WIAA sweep this one under the rug, like they have been allowed to do so many times before.

It took me two seconds to figure out exactly who that referee is when I saw the tape on KOMO's website and I COULD NOT keep quiet. For anyone who follows high school basketball in the area, you know who this ref is. I will say this: I won't write his name here and I won't write my favorite high school team's name here because of the fear of retaliation. It is just a simple fact that this "ref" has given countless technical fouls to coaches, fans, schools, athletic directors, etc. than any referee ever allowed to blow a whistle in this state. I have seen it first hand and it is an unbelievable experience (which is why I am apt to forgive grandma for her actions). This wasn't the first time this ref has called in upwards of SEVEN technical fouls in a game--this is just the first time it's made it on the news. Sad thing is, WIAA (the governing body) won't lift a finger to help the coaches or the kids--who are his real victims.