Sheriff’s office sergeant arrested for horrible punch of youth soccer ref

An incident out of Jacksonville, Florida this weekend is just the latest in a disturbing rise of stories about the mistreatment of officials at youth sports events. The case in question here saw Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office homicide sergeant Michael Russell arrested Tuesday on a felony charge of battery of a sports official.

As per comments from Sheriff T.K. Waters, as relayed in a report Tuesday from independent Jacksonville station WJXT, Russell was at a youth soccer game Sunday at Losco Regional Park in the Jacksonville neighborhood of Mandarin. He was there in plain clothes and off-duty. A fight broke out between players, and officials tried to stop it. Russell then “went onto the field and punched one of the refs in the face, knocking the whistle out of his mouth.”

BREAKING UPDATE: Sgt. Michael Russell, who has been removed from his position in homicide, was arrested this morning on a charge of battery on a sports official, Sheriff T.K. Waters said.

https://t.co/DbznjpktB5

— News4JAX (@wjxt4) March 28, 2023

Here’s more on that from the WJXT piece:

“We never relish arresting an employee of this agency. However, our collective belief in transparency, openness and accountability outweighs any personal allegiance,” Waters said. “We are a society of laws, and no one is above those laws.”

…“It’s really confusing to me,” Waters said when asked why Russell might have punched the referee. “It’s disappointing.”

That piece also notes that Russell’s actions were captured on video. But that video hasn’t yet been released. Still, the charge against Russell here drew a lot of comment from the soccer community, including veteran official and current MLS on Apple TV+ rules analyst Christina Unkel:

We are not ok. The referee is a top notch, kind & professional person whose climbing the ladder to become a national referee. No one goes to work expecting to be assaulted when refereeing youth soccer. People in power need to help. Everyone’s leaving. https://t.co/lXpBSCCHU4

— Christina Unkel (@ChristinaUnkel) March 29, 2023

Here are some of the other notable comments on this:

Parent was abusing us last week. I told her to calm down and I heard enough several times. She proceeded to continue and claimed she wasn't talking to me even though she was speaking loudly enough to hear. I told the coach and he proceeded to tell me to get a thicker skin. https://t.co/1nqWVtS7pT

— Ted Meyer (@RFKR_Ted) March 29, 2023

https://twitter.com/lauren63678453/status/1640952406748934144

I wonder what the guy that spit in my face at a game the other week does for a living https://t.co/B7iMhiWZda

— The Lyon’s Den (@alyonroars) March 29, 2023

This is far from the first incidence of violence against a youth sports official. And, sadly, it probably won’t be the last.

[WJXT]