Schiano’s son suspended for rest of HS season for swearing at ref

Posted by Darin Gantt on October 9, 2012, 8:47 AM EDT
AP

Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano has been preaching discipline at work, but may need to take a bit of that home with him as well.

Schiano’s son Joe, a sophomore linebacker at Tampa’s Berkeley Prep, has been suspended for the rest of the season after being ejected from a game for swearing at a referee, according to Mike Camunas of the Tampa Tribune.

Maybe it runs in the family, as reports described Schiano as a “bully” during his time at Rutgers, making things difficult for visiting NFL scouts.

According to a Florida High School Athletic Association report obtained by the Tribune, the younger Schiano was ejected from a game against Lennard for using profanity at a referee, which is considered a “Level 2” unsportsmanlike conduct.

That carries a six-week suspension from the FHSAA, and extends through Nov. 9, the date of his team’s last game. The school has appealed the suspension, but otherwise didn’t comment.

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40 responses to “Schiano’s son suspended for rest of HS season for swearing at ref”

  1. Another NFL son crying out. Greg needs to talk to Andy before things are too far gone..

  13. Schiano comes across like an arrogant moron. I am sure he is a descent coach, but I am sure that more than a few guys would like to throw a right hook into his jaw at times.

  14. I’m all for discipline and accountability, but I would agree that this does seem unduly harsh. If you get six games for this, what do you get for something worse – the death penalty? The rest of that game, plus perhaps one more, would have been enough to send the message.

  16. unbelievable. i’m completely serious–is this a joke? you swear at an official and you get tossed for the season? our kids are growing up to be the biggest pansies.

    are kids getting kicked for the entire season for dirty hits? i doubt it. good to see we have our priorities straight.

  17. We don’t know what happened before this incident.

    Maybe he was warned that if he didn’t cool it, he’d be suspended, we don’t know.

  18. Oh, I thought that it would be for kneeling down at the ref’s foot. Gotta love that “kneel down defense” of Schiano’s!

  19. I would think it went beyond simple swearing at a ref. Probably along the lines of verbal abuse. With that in my I think the suspension would be warranted.

    You can’t let the inmates run the asylum, especially punk high school kids. Perhaps he should treat his elders and those in authority positions with a little more respect.

  20. High school rules tend to be pretty strict. When I played, we were once beating our opponent by 35 points at halftime when an opposing player called our left tackle a “fat @$$”. He replied, “Look at the scoreboard” and an official overheard him. He was ejected and automatically suspended for our next game.

  21. Good. This guy Schiano, is such a phony. Action speaks louder then words.
    The Bucs have a crappy team and Schiano is not the one

  22. When Matt Millen was in college, he was taught to say “excuse me Mr. Official, …” and then ask his question. Cussing out a ref IS a big deal when you’re a high school player, and also a college player.
    They can learn their bad behavior when they get to the NFL.

  23. I think the outrage over the length of the suspension around here is laughable. How long would you get suspended if you swore at a teacher? At least a week at my High School. Playing a High School Sport is a privilege not a a right. Whether you like it or not, you are held to a higher standard.

    And for those saying this is going to make our kids into pansies – it’s actually going to do the exact opposite. It will teach the kid to show respect to his elders. Maybe he’ll think twice about his actions/words next time.

  24. Good. I’m glad he got kicked out. The amount of disrespect in today’s youth is a joke. I appluad them for punishing him. Hopefully he learns that it’s not acceptable to talk to anyone like that, not just on a sports field.

  27. Sounds like the school system wants to make an example out of the kid. Ref probably deserved it. You don’t get suspended 6 games for swearing at a ref. Ever heard of the 1st amendment?

  29. Just a couple of years ago when I ref’d high school football in Maryland, something as simple as uttering “sh*t” under your breath was grounds for a 15 yd penalty, and any use of the “f-word” (whether directed at anybody or not) was a 15 yard penalty and an automatic ejection, which came with a one game suspension on top of it.

    I NEVER threw a penalty on either. But I worked with plenty of guys that did. Where there kids who were cussing at me? Occasionally. But all it takes is you telling his coach that if he opens his mouth to you one more time and it’s 15 yards, and problem solved. Coaches HATE 15 yard penalties. And virtually everytime I did say something to a coach, the kid got pulled for the rest of the half and got an EARFUL from the coach (which I was supposed to flag the coach to if the “f-word” was used).

    A six game suspension is absolutely HORRIBLE. In a game full of so much emotion, words sometimes come out. I’m not even sure I like a 1 game suspension. Ruining a kids season for a verbal outburst is terrible. I wonder what their policy is on something like throwing a punch…

  30. How does excessive punishment equate to kids being raised as pansies? Anyway while the punishment is excessive I think it’s great. We are devolving into a completely classless society with Zero respect for authority. A game or two would have sufficed but this punishment should help remind him that he is not special because of who his dad is.

  31. You never swear at a ref in highschool, but 6 games is crazy… 1 game seems fair enough.

  32. Can’t swear at a ref but we have open gays on TV….which would you rather have your kids being subjected to?

    I’d rather have them hear a few choice words than put up with what TV is offering our youth these days..

  35. The lack of respect kids have for elders and authority figures is appalling. Unfortunately, most learn from their parents who do a terrible job of raising kids with discipline. These same parents are the ones posting that society has become “pansies” or “too PC” or blaming “Democrats”.

  36. I wonder what he would have gotten for swearing at a teacher. Where I teach, he would have received no discipline. The teacher would have to explain what he or she did to cause him to swear at him or her. Harsh, considering what kids are allowed to do in classrooms and , unfortunately, in a lot of homes.

  38. delhommed says:Oct 9, 2012 10:52 AM

    Sounds like the school system wants to make an example out of the kid. Ref probably deserved it. You don’t get suspended 6 games for swearing at a ref. Ever heard of the 1st amendment?

    __________________________________

    The first amendment reference is classic. First of all, the first amendment does NOT protect obscenity. Look it up. Second of all, the purpose of freedom of speech was to allow us to speak critically of the government without fear, not to run your mouth and think there are no consequences for it.

  39. On a much tinier scale, I got almost all straight A’s in four years of High School (and one B). But my transcript also shows I got a C- in Phys Ed.

    Hmmm, a C-minus in Phys Ed. I won the President’s Award for physical fitness and lettered in varsity football, hoop and baseball winning all star honors in all but baseball (never could hit the curve).

    So why’d the Teach drop a C-minny on me? One day I groused under my breath, “What a bitch” and she overheard it. Poof. One person abused their authority — kind of like what appears to be happening with Schiano’s son.

    Is it right to physically attack legitimate authority? Of course not. But here, the slam on Schiano’s son does not appear to fit the crime – and reeks of the kind of rampant power trips officials and umps are on at nearly all levels of sport. Don’t lose sight of this: when you’re the age of Schiano’s son — losing a season is pretty harsh. How about the punishment fit the crime a little better?

  40. Wait a minute…The GM of the Saints is only out one half year for the bounty issue and a kid in high school receives THIS kind of penalty? I am a public school teacher of forty years and am completely “in” when the subject is discipline, however this seems a bit heavy-handed. Perhaps there is more to the story, or there are extenuating circumstances. If not, it appears overly severe. Is it possible that no coach at this level, college or the professional ranks don’t swear at coaches? That’s difficult for me to imagine.

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