Referee Hurt in Sarasota Youth Football Brawl Talks to HBO

An episode of HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel that aired Tuesday recounted the story of a youth football referee who was injured when a brawl broke out at a game in Sarasota in 2011.

Jayme Ream spoke to reporter Jon Frankel for the show's feature story about attacks on sports officials, describing how he was ganged up on by a group of angry players and coaches from the Sarasota Gators team during a blowout. The incident was caught on video.

Ream suffered a fractured shoulder and injuries to his back and neck. Three adults and one juvenile were charged with battery in the case. One of the adults served 30 days in jail, while the other two got probation, Real Sports reported.

In the show, Ream watches a video of the incident and recounts the attack. He also explains why he stepped back on the field five days later.

"It was very important for me to prove a point to myself and the people who did this to me that my passion for this game is unwavering ... That they couldn't take it from me that day," Ream said on the show. "That they might injure my shoulder, they might injure my neck, but they couldn't take that away from me."

Ream also describes how his family still fears for his safety — a surprising situation for a youth sports referee.

"My brother was a sheriff for 25 years, and I think they're just as afraid for me now as they were when he was on duty," Ream said.

Watch a clip of the show here or check your local TV listings for future airings.

Do you remember this incident? Did you see the show on HBO? Post a comment below and join the conversation.

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