Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Referees are bad actors

Don't know how many have followed the story, but prep hoops star O.J. Mayo is in a spot of trouble.

He shouldn't be. Unfortunately for the referee he "knocked over," WSAZ in West Virginia has posted a home video of his ejection on its website here. It's the third link down, called WEB EXTRA. Nothing like video on the 'net to get the real story out -- here, clearly, the ref wanted to grab his day in the spotlight by taking a seat on the floor.

Watch the official go down (and to the left ... down, and to the left ...) at the 42-second mark. It's pretty much the worst dive since this one.

Speaking of O.J. Mayo, everybody gets that he's still a senior in high school, right? Sure, he's tall and talented as hell. But ... still a senior in high school. He already has his college scholarship assured, and missing two games that don't seem to affect his team's bid for a state championship probably won't hurt him. Why are his handlers suing here, and turning the case into a national spectacle? The suspension is ridiculously, obviously, but just let it go.

I suppose the opposite argument is that his playing fewer games would equal fewer Youtube videos of him.

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