College Basketball: Seven Kentucky fans expected to be prosecuted for threats
By Stuart Gill
NCAA Referee John Higgins received thousands of harassing phone calls following Kentucky’s Elite Eight loss to North Carolina in March. Authorities have now identified seven individuals that made serious death threats against Higgins and his family.
Ever since Kentucky’s dream season ended with a 75-73 loss to eventual national champion UNC, John Higgins’ life has been filled with animosity.
His Omaha-based business, Weatherguard, Inc., received “about 3,000” harassing or threatening phone calls, most of which came from Kentucky area codes.
Higgins’ attorney Lee Polikov has been working with local authorities in order to hold the responsible parties accountable. Information regarding the seven individuals authorities chose to pursue has been handed over to the FBI. Polikov stated that, as opposed to charging the individuals in Omaha, “pursuit of any criminal charges would be best served by deferring to authorities in the appropriate jurisdictions.”
Kentucky coach John Calipari criticized the officiating immediately following the game, complaining that it was “amazing that we were in that game where they practically fouled out my team,” but never mentioned Higgins by name. He also made a point to recognize that UNC earned the victory, indicating he did not believe his team’s loss was wholly a result of the officiating: “But don’t take anything away from North Carolina. I mean, you think of the plays they made, down five to get back…It was a terrific game.”
There are disagreements between fans and referees in any sport, at any level. From Mark Cuban’s reputation as a heckler to former NBA Referee Tim Donaghy’s allegation that he was pressured into throwing games due to mob threats, the history is extensive. This instance appears to have reached an unprecedented gravity, though.
There is simply no appropriate time for fans to threaten a referee, even if one believes there are strong indications that the referee is fixing the game. Referees are monitored, coaches and players criticize calls, and games are reviewed. Higgins’ only comment on the matter was that he appreciated the work being done by authorities, and any true fan should agree with him.
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Just like a player may fail to make a play, a referee can make mistakes. They should not have to be worried about their safety for doing so.