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Posted at: 10/26/2009 9:49 PM | WHEC.com Referee seriously injured after football game
A playoff game for the Western New York Cougars ended with a loss and a referee in the hospital. The ref, Peter McCabe of Lakeville in Livingston County, is home but needs reconstructive surgery. After a play-off football game Saturday night at Edgerton Park, McCabe's face was the target of a player's anger. A referee who saw the incident happen told News 10NBC McCabe was bashed in the face by a helmet and then the suspect walked away. McCabe's nose was detached and nearly all the bones in his face were broken. "He was always comfortable going down there," said Peter McCabe III of his father. He had told him Edgerdon Park wasn't in the best part of town but that never bothered him. McCabe has a passion for sports. He's been a referee for more than 25 years. He told his son the game got rowdy that night. A fight broke out during the game and a few players were ejected. The Cougars ended up losing the game by two points. After the end of the game, the Utica team lined up to shake hands. The Rochester team didn't. "So my dad kind of knew at the time that it was looking a little shady at the time," said McCabe III. Witnesses say the referees were leaving the field and that's when the suspect, a member of the Western New York Cougars, hit McCabe with his helmet. A referee who saw it all happen says the player stood over McCabe and said, "Take that! Take that!" and then walked away. McCabe thanks the other referees who were there and believes they helped save his life. Peter McCabe III said, "If it wasn't for those guys, he probably would have been left there to die. It's just, it's not right. He's still out there and for something like this to happen it's just completely, completely out of line." McCabe is home but will return to Strong Hospital on Friday for reconstructive surgery. Hesays after all this he'll never return to the football field as a referee. News 10NBC spoke with the attorney for the Western New York Cougars. He says the team is cooperating with the police investigation and sends his thoughts and prayers to McCabe and his family. He had no comment beyond that. News 10NBC knows the identity of the suspect, but we are not releasing it at the request of police. Investigators are searching for the suspect but at this point, no one is in custody. Currently, there's a bill the state legislature to make it a serious crime to assault a sports official. (Click here to read that bill) The Rochester Chapter of Certified Football Officials is horrified by what happened. They're now looking into whether they will continue to officiate these games. Here's a statement from RCCFO: "The Rochester Chapter of Certified Football Officials was horrified to learn of the unprovoked assault of one of our members, Peter McCabe, after a football game over the weekend. This was an outrageous, cowardly attack by a craven individual. As a group, the RCCFO is confident that the Rochester Police Department will apprehend this criminal, and that a court of law will ensure that he receives the maximum penalty allowable for his actions. As this is an on-going investigation, the RCCFO will make no further comment with respect to any details of the incident. Our sole concern at this moment is for our fellow official and his family. Our members stand ready to support them now, and will continue to support them through the end of the recovery process. Peter McCabe is an outstanding football official, as well as an outstanding individual. More importantly, he is our friend, and a member of our family. It is important to understand that this incident occurred after a semi-pro football game. Only a limited number of our officials referee these games and the RCCFO Executive Council will be discussing whether or not to continue to officiate these games in the future. There has been little or no security provided at these contests and this also needs to be addressed. Our group primarily officiates high school and youth football games in the Rochester area. We remain confident in the security that is provided for the safety of the players, coaches and officials at these contests." (Photos courtesy 98.9 The Buzz)
For more Rochester, N.Y. news go to our website www.whec.com.
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