Iowa High School Football Coach Arrested After Threatening to Kill Referee

A former assistant high school football coach from Iowa was arrested on Wednesday morning for threatening to kill a referee during a game played this past weekend according to USA Today. The former coach has been charged with first-degree harassment.

This incident happened during a game between Lincoln High School and Dowling Catholic in West Des Moines, Iowa. Assistant coach Jason Storm, 44, charged at a referee after a perceived missed call. He was mad because Lincoln quarterback Caden Storm, Jason’s son, suffered a helmet-to-helmet hit from a Dowling defender. Jason claimed the hit was intentional and Caden suffered a concussion.

According to court documents, Storm approached the official, stating that he was going “(expletive) kill him.” He was held back from attacking the head official and was then escorted out of the stadium. The official filed a police report and Storm later said he apologized for his actions according to the court documents. He resigned from his position as assistant head coach on Monday.

“I should not have said some of the words I said,” Storm said per the Des Moines Register. “I believe coaches are held to a higher standard and that we should not react like that.”

Storm appeared in court and was ordered to be released. He has an arraignment scheduled for Nov. 20 and he’s facing up to two years in prison if convicted.

“There are two sides to the story, and neither one of them are particularly good,” Phil Roeder, a Des Moines school spokesperson, said. Storm “recognized his mistake and owned up to it and stepped down. I hope the ref goes back and looks at the video and realizes he made a serious mistake, as well. There are missed calls in any sporting event, but missing something like that could have been a danger to both players.”

George Davis, a retired Iowa school teacher and coach, told Des Moines Register that Storm should have done a better job keeping his emotions in check.

You can’t get personal and you’ve got to keep control of yourself,” Davis said. “You’re setting an example for all the young people under your care. I’ve had my arguments with officials, usually about their eyesight. They control that with technical fouls or penalties, but you can’t charge somebody. You just can’t do it.”