Connecticut basketball coach arrested after allegedly tripping and choking referee

High school basketball coach Thomas Sparks was arrested after allegedly tripping and choking a referee during a youth league game last week in Shelton, Connecticut. The New York Post reported that the incident occurred on October 24 during a Connecticut Elite youth basketball league contest. [1]

The 37-year-old coach clashed with the referee over what he believed was a bad foul call, according to local police records cited by the CT Post and reported by the New York Post. Sparks called the official a insulting name before choking him, which led to his arrest and subsequent resignation from his position at Staples High School. [1]

Physical altercations involving officials and coaches have affected other youth sports recently. As FTMQ News reported earlier, a coach and a referee engaged in a physical fight during a girls flag football tournament in Revere, Massachusetts, earlier this month before parents intervened. [2]