JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — State Rep. Jeremy Faison issued a public apology Tuesday night after he was ejected from a basketball game for confronting a referee.
It happened during Providence Academy’s home game in Johnson City against Lakeway Christian. News Channel 11 obtained video of the game, which shows the incident.
Immediately prior to the confrontation, the video shows players jostling for a loose ball before referees separated them. Two players, one from each team, were assessed technical fouls for unsportsmanlike conduct. That’s when Faison, whose son plays for the visiting Lakeway Christian team, took to the court.
According to a report from the TSSAA, when Faison was told to leave the court, he became hostile and said, “You can’t tell me to leave the floor, this was your fault.”
The report states that Faison then grabbed one of the referee’s pants in an attempt to pull them down. The attempt was unsuccessful.
Faison, who represents Cocke and part of Jefferson and Greene counties, issued an apology on social media.
“For years I thought how wrong it is when a parent loses their temper at a sporting event,” Faison wrote. “It’s not Christian and it’s not mature and it’s embarrassing to the child have always been my thoughts.”
“Unfortunately, I acted the fool tonight and lost my temper on a ref. I was wanting him to fight me. Totally lost my junk and got booted from the from the [sic] gym. I’ve never really lost my temper but I did tonight and it was completely stupid of me. Emotions getting in the way of rational thoughts are never good. I hope to be able to find the ref and ask for his forgiveness. I was bad wrong.”
News Channel 11 has reached out to Faison but has not yet received a response.
Lakeway Christian Academy is located in White Pine, near Morristown.
