New Jersey referees, 54-year-old, Ernie Lunardelli, and his 27-year-old son, Anthony Lunardelli were ready to offer a protest of their own on game day to counteract Monroe High School, football players, social protest. Ernie received news that the students would be taking a page from Colin Kaepernick’s playbook on silent protest by kneeling instead of standing during the recognition of the American flag. In sync with nationwide participation, the students were poised to show solidarity with their professional football counterparts. To bring awareness to recent acts of police brutality and racial injustice, the team chose to kneel during the pre-game singing of the Star-Spangled Banner. The father and son referees were not willing to watch the students disrespect the American flag that way. As promised beforehand to the league’s commission, the father and son refs walked away from their assignment. “I’m not in favor of anyone disrespecting, our country, our flag, the armed forces” Ernie shared.
“What they are doing has nothing to do with the national anthem and I’m against it, so I decided to protest for them kneeling, and that’s what I did”, offering his reason for quitting the game as an officiate. Ernie goes on to state that he has selected a lawyer to speak on his behalf regarding his actions when the need arises. Ernie details an additional protest against employing two kids from the chain crew. They are not professionally carded and are untrained for officiating a football game in his absence. A chain crew is prepared to signal the officials’ calls, not to make their decisions. “They are putting the students in jeopardy, not me”, Ernie shared.
Ernie is not against the right to protest. He does not agree with the protest taking place during the recognition of the American flag. He believes the protest has nothing to do with football and does not belong on the field. Ernie is clear on his stance, “Whoever is disrespecting that flag and the national anthem, that’s who I have a problem with.” Continuing his protest, Ernie Lunardelli plans to direct his lawyer to seek an unofficial status for the game in question based on the use of untrained referees. Foreseeing an argument against his reaction to the protests, Ernie is ready to use his lawyer against being “run out of town”. Clearly, Mr. Lunardelli has prepared himself for any official reactions to his decision. He has definitely positioned himself to be safeguarded against opposition to his counter-protests. His defense encompasses protecting his right to protest, protecting his job while protesting and shielding the protesting student-athletes from being officiated incorrectly. Obviously, playing a game not officiated properly in the commission of protesting was not pre-planned by the football team.
