LANSING, Mich. (AP) – Attacks on Michigan referees so alarmed Jim Dworman, an accomplished lawyer who also officiates high school basketball and football games, that he contacted his lawmaker two years ago about toughening penalties for such actions.
“People just weren’t that interested,” he said.
Everything changed with a single punch in a men’s recreational soccer game near Detroit last summer. Referee John Bieniewicz, 44, was killed by the blow from player Bassel Saad. The 37-year-old pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and will be sentenced Friday to up to 15 years in prison.
The incident is prompting legislators to consider making Michigan the 20th state with a criminal law that targets assaults on sports officials, with bills pending in the Senate to lengthen jail or prison sentences. An assault now classified as a 93-day misdemeanor would become a one-year misdemeanor or, if an official is injured, a two-year felony.
Neighboring Indiana is considering similar legislation this session, and bills have been introduced in Connecticut, Hawaii, Kansas, Massachusetts and New Hampshire in recent years.