Mt SAC O-Lineman punches out a ref at @VCPirateFB @scfafootball game tonight @SoCalCollegeSpo @vcscolleges pic.twitter.com/zGdN3OsyzB
— SoCalCollegeSports (@SoCalCollegeSpo) September 11, 2016
Bernard Schirmer, an offensive lineman for the Mt. San Antonio College football team, has been arrested for allegedly punching a referee during a football game on Saturday night.
In the video, Schirmer looks to have been in a verbal altercation with a player from Ventura College. A referee stepped in between Schirmer and the Ventura College player and pushed him toward the Mount SAC huddle. After a few efforts to get back in the Ventura huddle, Schirmer appears to turn his aggression away from the opposing team to the official as he throws a punch that sent the referee to the turf.
After the punch, Schirmer begins walking away until a coach comes to take him over to the sideline. The referee who was punched laid on the ground with Mt. SAC players around him until the end of the video.
Because of the punch, Schirmer was arrested in Ventura County on suspicion of battery. The official’s name has not been released, and the severity of the damage is still unknown. Mt. SAC head coach, Steve Mooshagian said that he approached the referee as he walked off the field to check to see if he was okay and said that the official “looked a little drowsy.”
It’s unclear what will happen with either Schirmer or the official at the moment, but striking an official is punishable by a five-year ban according to the California Community College Athletic Association bylaws.
