A coach and one of his players were arrested while confronting referees after a loss. Women's junior college basketball fever: catch it!
Trinity Valley Community College lost a hard-fought, "heated" game at Blinn College last night. Coach Bill Damuth apparently took issue with the officiating, and followed the referees into a hallway outside the gym.
[A Blinn spokesperson] said a campus officer stepped in front of Damuth as he followed the referees "to try and diffuse the situation and calm the coach." Damuth, she said, used profanities multiple times and was then warned that he was in danger of being arrested. When he continued having a heated discussion with the officer, Damuth was informed he was being placed under arrest.
He apparently resisted, and Lesha Dunn, a freshman player, came to his aid, grabbing another campus officer. He was booked for resisting arrest, she for assault on a public servant. They spent the night in jail, and made bond this morning.
So a coach gets so steamed at refs, he gets himself arrested. This feels like it should be a huge story, dissected by pundits arguing if athletics have become too charged in America. But everything about this just seems...second rate. Not real police officers; campus officers. Not a real college; a junior college. Not real basketball; women's basketball.
Wake me when Rick Pitino kills someone. Oh wait...
Trinity Valley coach, player arrested after team's loss [Brenham Banner-Press]