FOOTBALL PLAYER/REFEREE PUNCHED LATEST (11/02/1995)
AN ATTORNEY FOR TWO BLACK HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYERS PRESENTED A VIDEOTAPE AND WITNESS STATEMENTS WEDNESDAY THAT HE SAID PROVES A WHITE REFEREE USED RACIAL SLURS DURING A RECENT GAME. BEVERLY HILLS CIVIL RIGHTS LAWYER LEO JAMES TERRELL SAID HE HAD TO THREATEN LAWSUITS TO RECEIVE POLICE AND SCHOOL REPORTS ABOUT HIS CLIENT. FORMER COMPTON CENTENNIAL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT KUSAMI SIMMONS GAINED NATIONAL ATTENTION FOR PUNCHING THE WHITE REFEREE AT BEVERLY HILLS HIGH SCHOOL ON OCTOBER 20. THE 16-YEAR-OLD SIMMONS AND AT LEAST SEVEN OTHER CENTENNIAL HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYERS SAY THEY HEARD THE REFEREE CALLING TWO PLAYERS "NIGGERS" ON THE FIELD DURING THE GAME. THE 34-YEAR-OLD REFEREE KEN SMOTRYS HAS DENIED HE USED THE RACIAL EPITHET. BEVERLY HILLS PLAYERS ALSO FILED STATEMENTS WITH THE CALIFORNIA INTERSCHOLASTIC FEDERATION SOUTHERN SECTION SAYING THEY DID NOT HEAR THE OFFENSIVE WORD. TERRELL ALSO SHOWED A PORTION OF VIDEOTAPE OF THE REFEREE WHO APPEARED TO BE PUSHING ANOTHER CENTENNIAL HIGH PLAYER, VINCENT BROOKS. THE ATTORNEY ALSO TRIED TO POINT OUT THAT SIMMONS WAS UNJUSTIFIABLY EJECTED BY SMOTRYS. TERELL SAID SIMMONS TOLD HIM THE REFEREE SAID TO HIM "42, YOU'RE OUT, NIGGER." TERRELL SAID HE PLANS TO PROCEED WITH LAWSUITS AGAINST SMOTRYS, THE CITY OF BEVERLY HILLS AND ITS POLICE DEPARTMENT, THE COMPTON UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT AND CIF OFFICIALS FOR ALLEGED RACIAL MISCONDUCT.