The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association has closed its review of a referee’s use of a racial slur before the Sept. 4 football game between Metuchen and New Brunswick, but it has not disclosed what corrective action was taken. The association said the action complied with its rules and that it accepted the findings, according to NJ.com and MyCentralJersey.com.
The investigation concluded that the official used the term while explaining language players were prohibited from using during the game. NJSIAA said the word was not aimed at a person and was not used as an insult, but still characterized its use as unnecessary and inappropriate, according to MyCentralJersey.com.
Metuchen Athletic Director John Cathcart first spoke with players and coaches and then reported the matter to the NJSIAA. He also contacted Mark Bitar, the Big Central Conference assignor and a member of the New Jersey Football Officials Association’s Central Jersey chapter. That chapter contacted the referee, obtained a written account and concluded that he had exercised poor judgment, according to NJ.com.
The incident was reported by Shanise Green, the mother of a Black Metuchen player. She told NJ.com and MyCentralJersey.com that the white male official used the slur twice during a locker-room address about hate speech, prompting shocked reactions from players and coaches. Metuchen coaches then told players not to engage with the official during the game and said the matter would be handled afterward. MyCentralJersey.com first reported the incident publicly.
Bitar said the official departed from the NJSIAA Sportsmanship Statement by using language the officials chapter considered offensive and unnecessary. The chapter described its response only as appropriate corrective action, while the NJSIAA declined to identify the specific steps, according to NJ.com.
The NJSIAA also said the incident was sent to the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights along with the investigative findings, corrective actions and supporting information, according to NJ.com. Neither the association nor the officials chapter has publicly explained whether the referee was suspended, retrained or otherwise restricted.
Green said she had not received an explanation from the NJSIAA and was concerned the referee could continue working games involving her son or other players. She said the episode overshadowed her son’s first varsity game, in which he made his first varsity tackle. Cathcart described the conduct as unacceptable, while Green said the official should not be assigned to games, according to NJ.com.
