But Fletcher is fundamentally correct in that no one can be physically fit to call college basketball games night after night, often crossing time zones. Kansas' De Sousa opting out of 2020-21 season, NCAA puts UMass on probation for two years, Five preseason storylines as practice begins, Alabama's Nate Oats says he had COVID-19 in July, Las Vegas set to host NCAA hoops regional in 2023. Higgins, his wife, Carol, and his business, Weatherguard Inc., are listed as plaintiffs. They came after he officiated the Wildcats’ Elite Eight loss to UNC. Auburn ended up beating College of Charleston 62-58 after the mishap before being routed by Clemson. Just making it to tipoff can’t be easy. The sheriff's department provided extra patrols around Higgins' office, and Omaha police did the same near Higgins' residence. Games in six straight days, in Salt Lake City; Corvallis, Oregon; Lawrence, Kansas; Fort Worth, Texas; Norman; and Tucson, Arizona. -- A college basketball referee filed a federal lawsuit against a Kentucky media company on Tuesday, accusing it of creating conditions that led to the harassment of him and his family after he worked an NCAA tournament game between Kentucky and North Carolina in March. “I hope the many media members and outlets that thoroughly, and on multiple occasions, covered the allegations in this lawsuit will equally cover the dismissal of the claims.”. How much of chance does Higgins have in his lawsuit? Higgins, who is seeking at least $75,000, declined to comment. John Higgins, an Omaha-based college basketball referee who was harassed by Kentucky fans angry at the way he officiated their NCAA tournament game, is suing a … A lot can go wrong there in the middle of February. Morgan Eads covers criminal justice for the Lexington Herald-Leader. Higgins told SI three years ago that he takes most Mondays and Fridays off. "After defendants' publication of Mr. Higgins' business and contact information, as well as their encouragement and enticement to thousands of people to utilize the contact information, Weatherguard received over 3,000 phone calls during the two days after the game, of which approximately 75 percent were from Kentucky area codes," the suit said via ESPN. A ref is suing a Kentucky sports media company for inciting death threats, Kyrie Irving’s championship-sealing three needs a deep rewind. Berry Tramel, a lifelong Oklahoman, sports fan and newspaper reader, joined The Oklahoman in 1991 and has served as beat writer, assistant sports editor, sports editor and columnist. Collins to ESPN. Kentucky head coach John Calipari argued a call with referee John Higgins during a 2017 NCAA Tournament game against North Carolina at Memphis, Tenn. Higgins … “But to hold the Defendants responsible for these third-party actions would potentially quell open debate and commentary on public events and issues.”. Higgins alleged intentional infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy, tortious interference with a business relationship or expectancy, negligence, harassment, engaging in harassing communications, and civil conspiracy, aiding and abetting, and complicity. Higgins, his family and his business suffered thousands of harassing phone calls and online comments in the days after Kentucky men’s basketball team’s Elite Eight loss to North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament as many, including the defendants, were critical of Higgins’ officiating performance. In a tweet and post on the KSR website, Jones said, "The Higgins lawsuit against KSR is frivolous and without any legal merit whatsoever. When he did so, Auburn's Jared Harper was holding the ball because [Okeke] passed it to him just as he grabbed the rebound. Candid Coaches: Who is the best referee in college basketball? 2:48 pm ET. Connect to local news for just $4.99 a month for 12 months. Higgins' business also received a flood of bogus negative online reviews, causing his Google rating to plummet. I’m no expert. Have whistle, will travel doesn’t seem like the ideal system. Referees are independent contractors. ‘I like being the general.’, The John Clay Podcast: The latest on Olivier Sarr and UK basketball recruiting, NCAA’s latest action could finally clear the way for Olivier Sarr to play at Kentucky, Friendly rivalry? (3:40). 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We have the names you need to know, and ACC officials dominate voting among our coaches ... John Higgins … But is he overextended? Higgins is seeking at least $75,000 in damages. College basketball referee John Higgins filed a civil lawsuit Tuesday blaming Kentucky Sports Radio for helping to incite death threats and encouraging defamatory … © 2004-2020 CBS Interactive. “I'd ask you, do you work five days a week?" A sheriff's investigator in Sarpy County, where Higgins' business is located, said in April that he had identified 450 phone calls or messages and another 200 to 300 messages on social media or in emails that were "of a threatening nature." KSR discussed Higgins and his calls on founder and host Matt Jones’ show and on its website. A judge has dismissed NCAA basketball official John Higgins' federal lawsuit against Kentucky Sports Radio and its operators, Matt Jones and Drew Franklin, ruling their comments about the referee are Kentucky Sports Radio and two of its operators, Matthew Jones and Drew Franklin, are listed as defendants. "If an official errs on a rule, misses a game-deciding play or his miss-call ratio is too high, they are subject to not advancing in the NCAA tournament," said NCAA officiating coordinator J.D. If Higgins flies by private aircraft, it’s a new development. Log in or subscribe to read and leave comments. The current disagreement about when the Kentucky-Louisville game will be played fits a pattern. Corvallis one night, Lawrence the next; Stillwater one night, Bloomington the next, doesn’t seem like the way to get top-notch officiating. he responded to Sports Illustrated. Higgins … Absence ‘made me a stronger person.’, The ‘baby’ of this Kentucky basketball team has a leader’s mentality. Higgins and his family also received death threats. Had any of the officials been aware of this, or had anyone alerted the officiating crew to the fact that the wrong player was at the foul line, the officials would have been able to review the play and determine [Okeke] should have been the shooter. The official pointed to Harper, identifying him as the shooter. We will defend it and expect a favorable result quickly.". To my way of thinking, anyone who stands up to Kentucky’s entitled attitude is someone you want calling big games. The legend, and my favorite college basketball referee of all-time, John Higgins, took a tumble on the opening possession of K-State's 50-47 win against Bradley on December 9, 2014. Connect to local news for just $4.99 a month for 12 months. NCAA Men’s basketball referee John Higgins recently saw a call go against him in a Kentucky federal court. Referee John Higgins of Omaha has contacted law enforcement to report heâ s received death threats after Kentuckyâ s loss to North Carolina in the … The opinion goes on to say that Higgins was probably not unfamiliar with how critical fans can be, though it asserted that the case involving Kentucky’s fans was “extraordinary all the same.”. Here is section of January: Wow. One of the best in America. 6-keys: media/spln/collegebasketball/reg/free/stories, at She is a native Kentuckian who grew up in Garrard County. From Stillwater for an 8 p.m. Monday game to Bloomington for a 6 p.m. Tuesday game. Yes, I spend a lot of time on airplanes, but if you keep yourself mentally and physically healthy, it's no big deal.". There in Bloomington, Indiana, was referee John Higgins. "You know, it's amazing that we were in that game where they practically fouled out my team," Calipari said via ESPN.
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