PALO ALTO
– Police were called to a Pop Warner Youth football game between
the Gilroy Browns and the Palo Alto Knights after Head Coach Tony
Solorio was ejected for arguing a call in the latter part of
Sunday’s contest.
PALO ALTO – Police were called to a Pop Warner Youth football game between the Gilroy Browns and the Palo Alto Knights after Head Coach Tony Solorio was ejected for arguing a call in the latter part of Sunday’s contest.
The Browns Midget team, made up of players ages 11 to 15, had just added to its lead on a touchdown run by running back Mike Perez with three minutes remaining. The referee flagged the Browns’ player for taunting the other team and took away the touchdown. Coach Solorio then confronted the referee about the call and was ejected from the game.
“Our head coach was pressing the call, and he got ejected,” Gilroy Browns’ President Richard Salazar said. “(The police) only came because he was yelling at the ref and (the ref) felt threatened, so the cops were called.”
Solorio was escorted off the field by Gilroy Browns’ Athletic Director Jeremy Orosco. By the time Palo Alto police arrived, the head coach was leaving the parking lot in his car, according to Salazar.
“They just showed up to see if there were any problems … (and) to make sure everybody had dispersed,” said Salazar, who was not at the Midget game but got the information from a coach.
“From what I was told in talking to one of the coaches, by the time (the police) got there the coach was already in his vehicle leaving,” Salazar said.
Solorio has been suspended while the incident is being investigated and reviewed by the Pop Warner Peninsula Rules and Conduct Committee – which will make the final decision on Solorio’s future with the Browns. Midget Assistant Coach Steve Balverde has taken over as head coach in the interim.
Once a week, the seven-member committee of commissioners from the Peninsula meets via conference call and rules on any submitted violations such as ejections or lopsided score rules. If a Pop Warner team scores more than 28 points, that team must write a letter to explain that they did not run up the score.
Salazar contends that the same referees for all five youth division games between the Browns and the Knights “had it out for us.” Salazar said that he ran into conflict with the officials during the Mighty Mites’ game, the first of Sunday. According to Salazar, he was standing on the sidelines and the officials told him he could not be there. Salazar told them he was the Browns’ president and was doing his duty of monitoring his players, coaches and fans. Salazar said the officials told him that they didn’t care who he was and that he had to get off the sidelines.
“I think they took it from the Mighty Mites all the way up. Everyone agreed on this side, but (the committee) will have to interview the officials and the Palo Alto coaches,” said Salazar, who added that another Browns assistant coach received a flag from the officials earlier on. “We were taken advantage of because I questioned the refs. … It’s out of my hands now. It’s whatever the rules and conduct committee (decides on).”
In addition, Salazar was later told by Junior Midgets’ Head Coach Gabe Sandoval that Sandoval’s son started crying at their game because a referee told him that he “sucked.”
Salazar met with the parents of the Midgets players on Tuesday night to discuss the matter along with Rules and Conduct Committee Commissioner Jody Yusim – who said she will not be part of the ruling because of a conflict of interest. Yusim was the Gilroy Browns’ President for six years and involved with the Browns for 10 years. She was also the treasurer for two years, the scholastic director for one and a team mom for another.
“I attended the parent meeting with Rich Salazar and the parents on Tuesday night as a representative of Peninsula,” Yusim said. “I wanted to let them know that this is not a decision made by the president of the Gilroy Browns. That it was a decision for (Pop Warner President) Joe Tobia and the rules and conduct committee. It’s not a Gilroy Browns’ presidency decision.”
The investigation by the committee takes a week to a week-and-a-half, according to Yusim.
Salazar submitted letters from parents about last Sunday’s events in defense of the Midgets’ coach.
“He kinda blew a gasket. He was questioning the call and in questioning the call he told the ref something like, ‘that was a crap call, and you know it,’ ” Salazar said. “I’m just trying to explain this situation, (because) I think they had it out for us.”
