94WIP Morning Show Reacts To Neshaminy High School Basketball Incident
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Neshaminy High School basketball coach Jerry Devine might have made the biggest mistake of his career.
In Tuesday night's game against Pennsbury, Devine got apparently got irate with an official after an offensive foul went against one of the Neshaminy players late in the contest. Devine may have made contact with the referee and was ejected from the game, in which Pennsbury went on to win 49-42.
"Rhea [Hughes], how long after he headbutted the ref and the ref landed straight back on his back, did that guy go, 'Well I just did something really, really bad?," asked Angelo Cataldi at the beginning of his Wednesday morning show.
"Probably not until they escorted him out," Hughes said.
While the original five-second viral YouTube video appeared to show Devine headbutting the ref, other footage indicates that may not be the case. Clint, who says his son shot the game video as an intern for WBCB, joined Angelo Cataldi and the 94WIP Morning Show on Wednesday morning.
"I was seated up about 10 rows behind the Neshaminy bench and that's where the altercation occurred," Clint said on 94WIP. "I don't think he headbutted him, I think he chest bumped the ref. It was definitely a lot of contract and then what kind of made it worse was that, when the ref went down he made a face with his mouth open like he could believe it. And the coach waved him off, like, 'Oh you're faking!'"
The color commentator of WBCB broadcast, Chris Ermer, agreed.
"From my vantage point, it looked more like a chest bump or a belly bump that just caught the ref off-guard," Emer told cityofbasketballlove.com. "And after making contact with the official, coach Devine almost indicated by giving a sweeping motion with his hand that he thought the ref had flopped, that he thought the contact wasn't enough to send the man to the floor."
Another eye-witness, Larry -- whose daughter is a Neshaminy cheerleader -- joined the 94WIP Morning Show.
"The actual guy that the foul was called on was Ryan Arcidiacono's younger brother, who plays for Nova [Villanova]," Larry told Angelo Cataldi and the 94WIP Morning Show on Wednesday. "It happened so fast, the next thing I saw was the referee on the ground. I thought maybe he did a flop or something."
The Neshaminy School District issued a statement.
"The administration at Neshaminy School District is conducting a thorough review of an incident at the varsity basketball game Tuesday evening involving coach Jerry Devine and a referee. Appropriate action was taken at the game following that incident, and further measures may follow depending on the outcome of that review. As this is a personnel matter, we will not be able to comment on the specifics of any possible disciplinary action until that review process is complete."
According to Kevin Cooney of Calkins Media, Devine has been placed on administrative leave and an investigation is ongoing.
