The Ohio high school football official who was intentionally head-butted by a player during a game is hoping his state government will act to protect athletics officials going forward.
Scott Bistrek testified before the Ohio State Senate this week in support of Ohio Bill 118, which would make assaulting a sports official a felony.
Bistrek testified that he went to the emergency room the day following the incident for CT scans and doctors determined he had a concussion.
Related: High School Football Game Called After Official Head-Butted
“The headaches the first couple of days were worse than I have ever had,” Bistrek said in testimony reported by the WSB-TV in Atlanta. “Two weeks later I still have occasional headaches. I am a very active person, and to not be able to do much at all for a week after was extremely hard for me. Bright lights, too much TV and sound would make my head pound.”
Bistrek was head-butted in the second-quarter by a player from Dunbar High School during a penalty-ridden Aug. 31 game between Dunbar and Roger Bacon high schools. The Dunbar player was called for a personal foul penalty after pushing a Roger Bacon player after the whistle.
“At this point, I motioned the player off the field and told him he needed to go off for a play to calm down,” Bistrek testified. “The player was not being ejected from the game, just being sent to the sideline for a play to calm down. At this time the player says, (expletive) and then headbutts me.”
Dayton Police representatives said the head-butting case was referred to the juvenile division of the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office. The prosecutor’s office could not immediately provide a status update on the case late Wednesday afternoon.
Should Senate Bill 118 become law, it would make assault against a sports official a fifth-degree felony rather than a first-degree misdemeanor, if the incident occurs while the official is acting in that capacity, or if the incident is in retaliation for the person’s work as a sports official.
