Report: Pac-12 referee received ‘barrage of threatening calls’ after Music City Bowl
By SDS
Published:
The Pac-12 officiating crew that called the Music City Bowl received threats in the days following the game, according to a report by ESPN. Northwestern beat Kentucky 24-23.
Early in the first half, head referee Chris Coyte ejected RB Benny Snell for intentionally making contact with a referee. It appeared as if the official reached to help Snell up following a run, and Snell appeared to push his hands away and get up on his own. A flag was thrown, and Snell was immediately ejected.
Here’s a replay for a refresher:
Kentucky RB Benny Snell Jr. was ejected for this. What a bleeping joke pic.twitter.com/5M0KV24DGi
— Dustin Schutte (@Schutte_B1GFB) December 29, 2017
Following the game, Coyte spoke with the media and said the reason Snell was ejected was because he grabbed his arms and pushed them away.
Music City Bowl referee Chris Coyte on Benny Snell ejection: "The player got up and grabbed my arms and pushed them away and contacted me. That’s a foul."
— Adam Sparks (@AdamSparks) December 30, 2017
I asked Music City Bowl referee Chris Coyte if anything was said by Benny Snell that influenced the ejection beyond contact. He said, "No."
— Adam Sparks (@AdamSparks) December 30, 2017
Obviously during the game, everyone was irate on social media about the call. The report states that, in the days following the game, Coyte received “a barrage of threatening calls to his cell and office phones.” It also states that the threats had died down until Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart penned a letter to the Pac-12’s VP of officials in early January (made public last week).
The Pac-12 gave ESPN an official statement regarding the matter.
“We’re happy to discuss the matter with the SEC,” the Pac-12 said in a statement. “We’re particularly sensitive about this issue because our officials have received threats and we are concerned about their safety.”
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