A California youth basketball game descended into chaos when one coach punched another coach after the score of the game got out of hand.
Jack Pollon of Agoura Hills was knocked unconscious by the unnamed opposing coach during an Agoura Youth Basketball League game.
Pollon was reportedly struck in the throat by the unnamed coach, police were called, and the coach was arrested on assault and battery charges.
Terry Goldberg, Pollon’s attorney, said his client intends to file charges against the perpetrator. Goldberg said Pollon fell to the ground and his head as a result of the assault.
“There was nothing leading up to the incident other than the fact that one team was way ahead of the other team. These are 9-year-old boys playing basketball, and losing by a significant amount doesn’t give the other coach the right to commit assault and battery because he’s upset,” Goldberg told the Thousand Oaks Acorn.
A witness said the teams were nearing the end of their second game of the day, and Pollon’s squad was leading 40-23. The two coaches were near each other on the sideline when Pollon was struck in the throat.
“The game was refereed by a teenager and I’m disappointed (the AYBA didn’t have) another adult in attendance, but having said that, the coach is responsible for his own wrongful conduct,” Goldberg said. “Each of us as adults in this world are responsible for our own conduct. What we’re supposed to do as adults is teach children good values, which this incident didn’t do.”
Drew Fine, president of AYBA, called the coach’s behavior “inappropriate, scary and bizarre.” He also noted that all AYBA coaches and volunteers undergo a background check and participate in coaching clinics before they can lead a team.
“We immediately took a report from the referee. We got reports from everyone who was there. We have a team who will evaluate those reports. We suspended the coach for life. We take this very seriously; it’s horrifying,” Fine told the Acorn.
