Stephen Parmon: The Pride of Cook CountyStill wondering about the Big Ten officiating crew that came under fire for bad calls in the Penn State/Purdue and Ohio State/Illinois games and was subsequently suspended for the final week of the season? I wasn't either. But now I am.
Evidently, the crew chief, Stephen Pamon lived quite the colorful life.
And by colorlife life, I mean an alleged bankruptcy brought on by gambling debts, beating his girlfriend's kids with an electrical cord and allegedly trying to bone his 19-year-old niece.
Finally, to let you fools know that he's a business-meaning mofo, he got canned by the Chicago Police department for sexual harassment.
Get a load of this:
- He and his wife filed for bankruptcy in 2002 after the couple amassed $429,407 in liabilities, and two of the creditors were casinos.
- He allegedly has gambled at casinos as far back as the 1980s, and a sister-in-law said gambling losses incurred by Pamon and Pamon's wife led to the couple filing for bankruptcy.
- In 1997, he was charged with repeatedly beating three of his girlfriend's four sons with an electrical cord. He told authorities he beat the boys three times.
- He allegedly was fired by the Chicago Police Department in 1996 after two female officers accused him of sexual harassment, according to published reports that cited law-enforcement officials as sources.
- One of Pamon's former wives accused him during a court hearing in 1994 of striking her and sexually assaulting her 19-year-old niece, according to court records.
Take nothing away from the Illini. They played a fantastic game and when the Buckeyes had a chance to get the ball back and tie the game in the 4th quarter, they couldn't get it done.
But in college football, where emotion and momentum play larger roles than they do in any other major sport, it's hard not to wonder how that game would have played out if the fumble that was obvious to everyone, had been called. Down and to the left.. Down and to the left:
Jeff pretty much sums it up:
So what the hell was the Big Ten thinking by letting a guy with that much of a checkered past officiate a game, let alone LEAD a frigging crew? The child abuse and sex charges are alone disgusting....but you let a guy with a GAMBLING problem be in charge of an officiating crew?
Hello, fox. Here's your henhouse. Guard it well, OK?
Jim Delaney has a lot to answer for.
Indeed.
Comments
[...] … especially if you’re a Buckeye fan. [...]
Cronyism and 'ol boys clubbin' in the Big 10? Do tell!
Is it time we get a new Commissioner yet? My resume is strong. Fantasy Football Commissioner for 4 years that took our league from a yearly league to a full-on keeper league. We also named it after Logan Mankins. Also Starbucks Shift Supervisor of the Year in 2005 for the Heartland Region of the United States. I have strong ties to both the masses and those in power and could broker television deals that would make the NFL have a hemorrhoid-like itch in their pants.
I'm glad that the Illinois loss did not matter, the Bucks still made it to the BCS game. But this is embarassing. Hiring a referee with a sketchy past & a major gambling problem is like hiring an alcoholic to be a bartender or a fat guy to manage a donut shop.
PS - I'm getting no replies to my resume submissions to Dunkin' Donuts or DiMarco's pub
I wonder if a kid with a past like this one would have been allowed to play on the field in the OSU-*ll*n**s game? Probably not, but officiating it is no problem.
Bizarre. Great story.
This is an absolute disgrace. Delaney's quotes on the NBA situation are crazy.
A little more about the facts, this ref was hired in 1988, so he was already an employee before most of this happened. That doesn't excuse his behavior of the fact that it looks bad on the league, but until this year, did anyone have any reason to think he wasn't doing his job well on the field?
But we still play for it all. SO let's get that done and not worry about what if.
This play still kills me. You can't help by call B.S. on this one.
[...] cervical cancer. November: Lots of things happened. Illinois beats Ohio State with the aid of a potentially corrupt officiating crew. It all works out because in the next week, the Fightin’ Buckeyes of the Olentangy dominate [...]
[...] in back-to-back games, including the non-fumble that was in the Illinois game, Rivals uncovered some unsavory tidbits from his past and the writing was pretty much on the wall. His blown call against the Buckeyes ultimately [...]
[...] 204 pound junior will try to replace Mendenhall at running back. Yes, Dufrene is the guy who cost Cleveland from the Family Guy his job, after his blatant fumble against OSU last year wasn’t reviewed. He will run behind 3 [...]
[...] Pamon investigation became a necessity for the league after reports of Pamon’s shady past came out. The Big Ten may have cleared him of any type of gambling-related stench, but given his [...]
[...] conference is above terrible officiating — we’re keenly aware of that, but two major blown calls in marquee non-conference games lately should give most of us pause [...]
[...] not only is Beanie supposed to be back, but Pryor (or as they refer to him at Eleven Warriors: “LeBron in Cleats”) is officially [...]
Boeckmann's 3 picks and the inability of the OSU defense to stop the Illinois ground game in the fourth quarter, allowing first down after first down after first down had much more to do with the outcome of the game than that call less than a minute after the game began. Even if they had called it, it would have just been a touchback. No indication that it changed the game results in any way.