The Clifton Police Chief said a man came onto the court, was cursing at referees and had to be forcibly removed from the gym by officers.
CLIFTON, Texas — A parent attending a basketball game between Clifton and Whitney High Schools was forcibly removed from the gym by Clifton Police officers after coming onto the court to confront the referees, according to Clifton Police Chief Chris Blanton.
In a news release, Blanton said it happened Tuesday, Feb. 11 during a boys varsity game. This was after officials had already stopped the game because of an “unruly fan from Whitney” and a separate altercation between two females, according to the release.
Game officials stopped the game again with about two minutes left to have a Whitney student ejected for “unsportsmanlike behavior toward the officials,” the release states. It was during that ejection that a parent from Whitney came onto the gym floor. The release states the parent was cursing at the officials and he was ejected.
“As the Clifton Athletic Director attempted to have him removed, he became upset and continued to curse at game officials, at which time Clifton PD got involved,” the release states.
When the man would not leave on his own, Clifton police officers had to forcibly remove him from the gym. Video posted to the Clifton Police Facebook page shows officers walking him out of the gym.
“As officers were approaching the gym door the male was ordered to place his hands behind his back, as he was being placed under arrest for disorderly conduct,” the release states. “Instead of following orders, the male attempted to pull away from officers at which time he was placed on the floor and taken into custody.”
After he was removed from the gym, the man “became very apologetic to officers stating he got caught up in the moment and was sorry for the way he acted.”
He was charged with a Class C misdemeanor for Disorderly Conduct due to his language instead of trespassing and resisting arrest and allowed to leave with his family, according to the release.
The game continued without incident after all the Whitney ISD fans were removed from the gym.
According to Blanton, they had extra officers at the game because of several past incidents of Whitney ISD fans confronting game officials this year.
Whitney ISD Superintendent Todd Southard posted a statement to Facebook that reads in part, “I would like to remind everyone of some of the sportsmanship behavior expectations for spectators per UIL. Always provide support for your team. Never ridicule or degrade the opposing team or players. Conduct yourself in an exemplary manner. Remember that you represent WISD and the community of Whitney at both home and away games.”