Commissioner(s),

I would like to formally submit a complaint regarding the referees and the disrespectful manner in which they interact and communicate with players. Specifically, I am referring to an interaction that occurred during our game (Tehran vs Beirut on court 2 during week 5). Before I begin, this complaint is not about the officiating or a lack of, or too many calls.

Beirut defeated us soundly and it was a blowout, a well deserved win. During free throws on a 3 point shot, we had 2 players sub after the first free throw instead of the second,. One of the referees yelled at them as if they were little kids playing little league. I would like to remind you(all) that this league consists of all age groups but a majority are, grown ass men. I don't need a a referee yelling at my players when the game is practically over and the reason they made the substitution is because the referees, as usual, feel they are too above this league to communicate effectively with the players. Whenever I have attempted to interact with them, either before the game or to question a call, they have answered me in a demeaning manner, that is not how a referee should conduct himself. They should be reminded that they are referees for an amateur league. There is a reason why we are not playing in the NBA and they are not refereeing in the NBA. This league, as competitive as it is, is still an amateur league and that means you will have players from all skill levels participating in it. I am not asking for any special favors or complaining about the calls that are made, all I am asking for is you remind your referees to be respectful towards players (as the players are respectful towards the referees) and don't conduct in a manner where when questioned, they feel burdened to provide an adequate answer. Our fees and your efforts are what make this league possible, the referees do not officiate for free and are not doing us a favor in any way by officiating, they are replaceable.

Thank you and I hope that you take necessary actions to address this complaint. If you would like further information please reach out to me.

#3, Tehran.

I agree with this completely. It's not always easy making the right call so I never approach the ref's with any animosity, instead I try asking what mistake I made as a player so I can correct it going forward.

I've actually in week 1 and 2 tried asking the ref with the dreads what I did wrong and he was dismissive towards me and completely rude.

I've also seen refs in previous season call out players to meet outside to fight. That should NEVER happen.

There definitely needs to be a mutual respect. I know that some players may give the ref's a hard time and those players will receive negative responses, maybe the ref's should start giving out Tech's to those players. But for players that are just asking the ref to watch out for something or what he did wrong? This doesn't elicit being disrespectful.

Omar,
I was watching that game on the sidelines before my team played on that same court. That referee(light skin bald ref) was completely out of line and was utterly disrespectful and disgusting to you guys and it was sad to watch that. Never was a big fan of that ref. Someone needs to talk to him about being more respectful to players.

Edited by user Saturday, February 8, 2020 6:08:27 AM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified