Referees Put in Harm’s Way as Parents Attack

Safety at Work

Honolulu, Hawaii (WorkersCompensation.com) – Parents and educators are coming together to support referees as they face a growing number attacks.

Earlier this month, supporters of Natalie Iwamoto, the Moanalua Associate Athletic Director, poured into a Honolulu, Hawaii courtroom to show their support as a judge decided how to protect her.

The judge was deciding whether to grant a TRO against 40-year-old Aukusitino Noga, who is accused of attacking Iwamoto after a basketball game on Dec. 4. Officials said that during the game, Noga allegedly shouted death threats and got into an argument with referees. After the game, Iwamoto was walking the referees to their car when Noga confronted them. Moments later, Noga's daughter got tangled up with Iwamoto. As the two struggled to separate, Noga punched Iwamoto.

Alton Mamiya, a commissioner with the Hawaii State Basketball Officials Association, said the incident happened quickly.

“They’re walking out and Natalie was going to escort them to their vehicle and that gentleman had approached them and she’s trying to tell him 'It’s okay, relax.' And that all just blew up in seconds. They said they turned around and they found Natalie on the ground,” he added.

The punch left Iwamoto unconscious. Video of the event shows Noga's punch hit Iwamoto in the face and knocked her to the ground where she laid for more than 10 minutes.

Noga, a 350-pound corrections officer, was seen on video standing over Iwamoto saying she deserved it.

"We have seen an increasing and escalating environment of violence that involves school employees in particular, like in this case, or other government employees," said Randy Perreira, executive director of the Hawaii Government Employees Association.

Noga was later charged with second degree assault and was released on $15,000 bail, according to the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney.

Department of Education Superintendent Keith Hayashi said Noga and his wife have been banned from all public school properties.

“We took this step sending a strong message that incidents like these will not be tolerated. No one’s safety should be jeopardized while doing their job — especially at a school event meant to support students and bring the community together. Our employees deserve to feel safe. This cannot happen again,” Hayashi said in a statement.

On Dec. 17, judges granted the TRO and said it was in effect for both Noga and his wife for the next three years, and specified that neither of the two can contact or harass Iwamoto in any way.

Brandy Richardson, Kamehameha School Kapalama Athletics Director, said she wanted to see training for parents on appropriate behavior at games. 

“I hope there’s gonna be classes that parents can take, or should take, because of this. To educate people, like a monster like Noga,” Richardson said.

Referees in Myrtle Beach said something needs to change as attacks on officials are getting worse.

DJ Barton, a referee in Myrtle Beach, S.C., said he was refereeing a basketball tournament at the John T. Rhodes Myrtle Beach Sports Center in July when a coach disagreed with a call he made. The coach got into his face, Barton said, and made several hand gestures. In response, Barton gave the coach a technical foul.

When the coach continued to use vulgar language toward him, Barton gave him a second technical foul.

“Next thing I know, I’m being shoved, I’m in the air, and I don’t even remember landing,” Barton told WMBF.

The coach, Jarvis Johnson, was arrested and charged with second degree assault and battery. But the attacks didn’t stop there. Barton said as he was wheeled out of the center to the ambulance, tournament attendees yelled at him, including saying he got what he deserved.

Barton said in his years as a referee, the problem has grown. He said something needs to change before someone loses their life.

Johnson has been banned for life from any future tournament at the sports center and from any future tournament put on by the host of the basketball tournament.

Those aren’t the only incidents of referees being attacked this year. In August, a man in York County, Penn., was arrested after attacking basketball referees in a church league. According to the Springettsbury Township Police Department, a fight broke out at the First Church of the Brethren Springettsbury Township with less than two minutes left in the basketball game. The losing team became upset, an affidavit of probable cause said, and about 10 members of the losing team attacked the two game referees.

Referees said they were punched, knocked to the ground and assaulted by all of the losing team, except for two players. Video of the fight showed 23-year-old Julio Vazquez-Rivera, of York City, hitting the referees on the ground and brandishing a gun during the fight. He was charged with aggravated assault, assault on sports officials, simple assault, harassment and disorderly conduct.

In February, the parent of a hockey player in a Seattle ice rink was recorded assaulting two youth referees. The parent stormed the ice and shoved the referees – ages 12 and 14 – to the ice. Uriel Cortes Gonzalez, 42, of Renton, was later charged with two misdemeanor counts of assault.

Gonzalez later reached an agreement with prosecutors to dismiss the charges in exchange for taking anger management or sportsmanship classes, as well as paying $1,500 in restitution to the victims and completing 80 hours of community service.

A survey by the National Association of Sports Officials in 2023 found that more than half of its members feared for their safety, and that 12 percent have reported being physically assaulted. 

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