Referees Draw Flag for Using Pink Whistles

Throughout October, high school football players around the country have been wearing pink to show their support for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. But when a group of Seattle-area referees did their part last week by donating their game checks to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and blowing pink whistles, they drew penalty flags from the Washington Officials Association. "They chose not to ask for permission, not to go the right route," WOAC chair Todd Stordhal told television news station KING5. "It sends the wrong message to kids that are playing the game." Stordahl added that the refs with pink whistles may receive a two-game suspension during the state playoffs for their actions.

"You would think that because the refs were donating their pay to a recognized charity, … the pink whistle infringement could be overlooked, and certainly not punished as severely as was done," noted a commenter on the website for Tacoma's News Tribune. "If we are talking about setting an example, what kind of an example is the association making by punishing a good ... deed?"

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