Dad Disguised As Ref On Sidelines Of Son's Football Game Leads To Lawsuit

Kate11/21/2018 4:23 PM

A ‘stolen valor’ of the ref world? Let’s take a quick timeout to investigate.

Long story short – A lawsuit is pending against the Illinois High School Association after a football player’s dad helped make calls & referee his playoff game in full ref attire. The kicker – the dad was not one of the actual refs at all.

From CBS Chicago:

According to the lawsuit, the father of a Nazareth Academy player was on the sidelines, dressed as a referee, and calling the shots when Nazareth defeated Simeon 34-27 in the Class 7A quarterfinal last week.
The Illinois High School Association on Tuesday, however, ruled there was no interference, granting Nazareth permission to play in the 7-A Championship game on Saturday.
The lawsuit, which is still pending, was triggered by a couple of controversial calls in that state playoff game on Nov. 10, as Richard Mercado stood on the sidelines in a referee uniform, even though he wasn’t part of the officiating crew.
Mercardo said he didn’t do anything wrong, but Simeon parents called his actions “blatant cheating.”

Here’s my favorite part:

According to the lawsuit, Mercado was involved in controversial calls on the field, including a Simeon touchdown that was called back, as Mercado stood next to the official referee outside of the restricted box.
Mercado, whose son plays for Nazareth, was wearing his referee uniform, but was not officiating that day. He insisted he did not influence any calls on the field.
“I was just there as a parent. I wasn’t there refereeing. I wasn’t saying anything to anybody. I didn’t do anything,” he said.

Oh hey, don’t mind me! Just here as a regular ‘ol parent! In a referee outfit! On the sidelines! Helping make calls! But I’m off duty! Heh heh!

Mercado acknowledged parents typically are not allowed on the sidelines, but in picture after picture Mercado is seen standing where he’s not supposed to be.
However, the lawsuit points to Facebook comments in which Mercado apparently admitted to helping the officials make calls.
“I didn’t make one bad call. I made sure the best team won,” Mercado stated in one comment.

Knowing the Illinois High School Association said all that was fine makes me think they are composed solely of that ref dad & no one else with a brain? Was everyone on the sidelines of Nazareth Academy somehow cool with this? Is the kid super embarrassed that his dad did that? I’d be dying.. Who knows.

Alright well I’m off to my nephew’s tee ball game. See you guys later.