Steve Kelly of the Seattle Times recently wrote of the ruling on pink whistles by the Washington Officials Association czar Todd Stordahl A number of football referees, it seems, decided to officiate games in October while wearing pink whistles in support of the Susan G Komen Foundation in that groups ongoing battle against breast cancer Since the refs hadnt cleared the move with him, this martinet Stordahl got his panties in a wad and brought the whole force of his office down on these individuals who acted as a group (Just who do they think they are?) He suspended them from playoff participation and placed them on probation for three years I can imagine him yelling PROBATION in their faces and (Animal House-style) the spit just flying
Stordahls ruling makes no sense Anything that can be done to bring attention to the fight against this terrible disease should have been welcomed with open arms, not a closed heart I feel especially strongly about this because my wife died of cancer (albeit uterine cancer, not breast) at the age of 41 She fought valiantly to live long enough to be in the auditorium and witness our sons graduation from high school I live in fear of the same disease striking my daughter or my two granddaughters
Commissioner Stordahl, you were wrong on so many levels and for so many reasons that it must have occurred to you that maybe you acted out of haste The firestorm you ignited (Ive been reading the feedback to Steve Kellys article People dont appear to like you very much) must have left you with at least a tiny, nagging question concerning your actions Faced with your situation, what would a real man (or woman) do? I think that I would arrange a meeting of the affected parties and see if there is some way that the situation could be rectified I know, I know, you might have to back off a little bitwell, maybe quite a bit, but that could not make you look weaker than you do at this moment You also need to consider the fact that football referees are hard to find I may have questioned a referees calls, maybe even his heritage, but I have never lost the belief that all referees are in this for kids and for the game of football
Stordahl, the main reason that you need to resolve this is also personal You need to do this for all the women in your family As I found out, cancer doesnt always happen to other people, in the house of someone else Jim Olsen
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