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On the TUNNEYSIDE of SPORTS
June 3, 2013 #439 Up next...Crime and Punishment!
After further review...Given
the tragic death of youth soccer referee Ricardo Portillo recently,
perhaps even-further-review is needed. The nouns in the phrase
"crime and punishment" imply a natural progression. It is
certainly a mantra that accountability must follow an action.
The "crime" in this
instance is the punch thrown by a 17-year old soccer player that felled
and ultimately killed Portillo. The player was angered by the yellow card
he drew from Portillo. A yellow card in soccer is given to a player
because of his "unsporting behavior" and may include a
temporary suspension. Unsporting behavior comprises some eighteen rules
violations that attempt to cause an unfair advantage ranging from
harassment and faking injuries to blatant fouls and threatening postures.
Portillo immigrated from
Guatemala in 1997. It was his dream to be a soccer referee, and he
constantly studied the rule book and watched numerous games on TV. He
often proudly told his family that "One day I will be there (on the
field)". Portillo was a dedicated family man earning his living as a
mattress factory worker. After working an earlier game that Saturday, he
was asked to officiate another game later in the day.
17-year-old Jose' Domingo
Teran had not planned on playing that day, and was simply a spectator at
his brother's game when he was "recruited" to fill-in. At
5'8", 220 pounds, wearing a borrowed jersey, Teran was assigned the
goalkeeper's position. When Portillo awarded a corner kick, Teran pushed
an opponent out of the way. The referee believed it to be a violation and
issued the yellow card. Teran then punched Portillo. Why?
Teran had reportedly never
displayed this kind of behavior in the past. His mother said "He is
not a violent or aggressive person and has never raised his hand at home;
I can't believe or accept this". Years earlier, Teran's nephew
suffered life-threatening injuries at the hands of a drunk driver. Teran
attended the boy like an ICU nurse clearing his collapsed lung of mucus
and assisting him with basic bodily functions as his nephew adjusted to
life without the use of his legs. In such displays of daily compassion,
there was no hint of the moment when violence would overwhelm Teran's
decency.
The dilemma in this case is
simply that justice must be served, but at what cost to a non-violent kid
who made a tragic mistake?
Will you log-in with your
judgment for this crime?
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