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Junior College Offensive Lineman Arrested for Punching Referee During Game

That standard is not always upheld, as shown Saturday by a junior college football player in Southern California.

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The referee, who has not been identified, was knocked unconscious when Schirmer appeared to punch him during the California community college football game at the Ventura College Sportsplex.

The Ventura County Star reports that California Community College Athletic Association bylaws say striking an official is punishable by a five-year ban.

Read a description of the incident from the Ventura County Star. One of the game’s officials got into the middle of the scuffle and began guiding Mt. San Antonio lineman Bernard Schirmer back to his side of the field, police said. He was taken to Ventura County jail.

Schirmer was released on bail Sunday, and now claims the whole thing was an accident.

All was good and well until Schirmer clocked the ref in the head.

“This basically ruins his career”, said Brian Yokoyama, a sports information director for the school. The official’s name has not been released, and the severity of the damage is still unknown.

Kollen said the man has not seen a physician. As you probably would’ve guessed, the official did not remain in the game.

Schirmer was immediately ejected and later arrested for assault. The district attorney’s office will decide whether to file criminal charges. “When he fell down, I thought somebody else hit him”, Schirmer said.

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“Mount San Antonio College will continue to complete an assessment of his conduct to determine what sanctions, if any, are appropriate for the incident”. Schirmer himself has expressed deep remorse – saying he was actually hitting himself on the helmet out of frustration. “He has no clue that the official was down”. “The referee has decided not to press charges knowing Bernard Schirmer did not intend to hit him”. Because the event became a police matter, video review was used in the process for something other than football.

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