Mar 16, 2021
The men’s NCAA Tournament hasn’t started yet, and it’s already lost 10% of the officials it selected to work the 68-team fandango. This is a very bad development for a sport that’s been dealing with an officiating crisis of confidence.
NCAA vice president for basketball Dan Gavitt confirmed on a media Zoom call Tuesday that six of the 60 tourney officials have been disqualified due to COVID-19 protocols. One tested positive and the other five are out due to contact tracing. This was a confluence of poor preparation and poor decision making.
The officials reported to their assigned hotel in Indianapolis on Sunday only to find that their rooms and meals weren’t ready, which is hard to excuse given the premium put on this event and its accompanying safety protocols. The rooms for all essential tournament personnel pretty much have to be ready.
Per the NCAA, one official tested positive on Monday and interacted with five other officials, and all six were sent home from the NCAA tournament bubble in Indianapolis.
Ted Valentine, John Higgins Among Officials Sent Home From NCAA Tournament Due to COVID Issues
Notre Dame v NC State | Andy Mead/ISI Photos/Getty Images
The NCAA has sent six officials home from the NCAA Tournament in Indiana due to a positive COVID-19 test and subsequent contact tracing. Some of college basketball s most notorious officials were among the group sent packing, including Ted Valentine and John Higgins. The referees were told to arrive by Sunday night and check into their hotel, but multiple officials said that the rooms weren’t ready upon their arrival, nor was there any food. Instead of having the officials wait in a secure area, they were allowed to leave for dinner and the group of Valentine, Higgins, Ayers, John Gaffney, Kipp Kissinger and Ray Natili all went to Harry & Izzy’s steakhouse in downtown Indianapolis.