LINCOLN – Sports referees called on Nebraska lawmakers Wednesday to increase penalties for spectators, parents, and coaches who assault them in the heat of an athletic contest. During a legislative hearing at the Capitol, they described growing incidents of verbal and physical abuse and assaults of officials and a need to impose tougher penalties – in this case, a felony with the chance of imprisonment – to quell the threats and head off a shortage of referees.

“Fans are getting out of hand, and it’s starting at the third-grade level,” said Montsho Wilson, who schedules referees for the Metro Conference and youth sports in Omaha. Wilson said that since October, officiating crews had ejected 26 people from buildings due to threatening or abusive behavior. Three of the incidents involved physical violence, he told the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee.

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