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A high school referee has been suspended indefinitely for his abhorrent behavior on the field, but parents are pushing for his firing.
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A high school referee in Missouri has been put on indefinite leave after he was caught putting his hands on a celebrating player during the middle of a game earlier this month. The player was celebrating a big play and the referee wasn’t having it. He put his hands on the player and told him to stop.
Joelle Rover, a receiver for the Glendale Falcons, in Springfield, Missouri, was celebrating a 40-yard touchdown. The referee overstepped and did too much in trying to stop a celebration.
“I think it really tarnished the whole game with that,” his coach, Glendale coach Frank Tristan, told the Springfield News-Leader.
The coach could be heard calling out the referee in realtime.
“He doesn’t need to be touching my player, you talk to me, that’s ridiculous,” Tristan can be seen yelling from the sidelines after the moment. “You need to grow up.”
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The Missouri State High School Activities Association suspended the referee less than 24 hours later, however, parents want the referee fired immediately.
Parents calling for the referee to be fired
Parents are taking to social media to call for the referee’s firing.
“This is insane. Kid can’t dance a little after a sick touchdown???” one wrote on X.
“Let me disciple my player. You throw the flag. Don’t you dare touch my boys,” one added on X.
“Suspended indefinitely? Fire him,” one parent added.
“He should never ref again,” another shared on X.
It remains possible that the referee could be fired or banned for life, though for now, he’s just suspended indefinitely, as the school district continues to weigh what happened during the conflict between player and referee.
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This story was originally published October 11, 2026 at 6:43 AM.