Shocking moment teenage official is assaulted by footy player recently released from jail
- A teenage referee was attacked during a final match
- He was pushed over by Warwick Williams
- Williams had served a prison sentence for assault
A footy star has landed in hot water after throwing a young NTFL referee to the ground in shocking scenes.
Warwick Williams was ejected from Sunday’s NTFL final after attacking the young referee while also appearing to ‘hit’ an opponent.
Williams is in his first season back in the league after serving a year in prison for an assault conviction. He plays for PINT, the Northern Territory football side.
Video footage from the game shows a flare-up taking place midway through the final quarter of the elimination final between PINT and Southern Districts.
Williams enters the fray mid-alter and appears to take out two opponents, sending the pair to the ground.
A teenage referee was attacked during an elimination final match in the Northern Territory
He then grabs the young referee, who tries to break up the commotion, before throwing him to the ground.
The senior referee put Williams on report and sent him off the field, preventing him from playing the rest of the match.
The match review panel is expected to list Williams on their chargesheet on Tuesday.
Williams was jailed for three years and four months in 2022 after breaking a man’s jaw during an altercation on Darwin’s party strip.
He spent 14 months behind bars before being released last year.
“Referees are an integral part of our game and, like everyone else, have the right to feel safe and valued on the football field,” read an AFLNT statement after the incident.
“While we recognize that this incident must undergo due process, we would like to emphasize that the AFLNT strongly condemns abuse of any kind in our game and has zero tolerance when it comes to referee abuse in any form.”