Youth Football Coach Arrested After Assaulting Referee In Malden: Police

MALDEN, MA — Malden Police arrested a youth football coach on Sunday after reports he threw a football at a referee following a disagreement about a series of calls in a game between Malden and Mattapan teams, according to court documents.

Dana Jones was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on an individual over the age of 60, court filings show.

The U-14 Pop Warner game involved teams from Mattapan and Malden. Jones, 50, of Roslindale, was coaching the Mattapan team, police said.

Malden officer Andy Chen detailed the situation in an incident report. He said he and another officer were called to MacDonald Stadium on Pearl Street around 1:15 p.m. on Sunday.

There, he said, he spoke with Jones who told him he believed the Malden team had been cheating and the referee — later identified as Thomas Abruzzese, 66 — had been making “bad calls.”

Abruzzese, Chen said, told police he and the rest of the officiating team threw a flag after a helmet-to-helmet hit between players on the field.

That’s when Abruzzese said Jones began yelling at referees, according to Chen.

Chen said other coaches on the field reported seeing Jones “rifle” a football toward Abruzzese, hitting him in the chest. Abruzzese told police the impact knocked him over, drawing aid from an on-field EMT.

WCVB reported on the incident on Monday night, saying Abruzzese had ejected Jones from the game immediately before Jones threw the football.

"I wasn't trying to hurt nobody," Jones told the station. "I wasn't trying to hit nobody. I was just pissed off. I just threw the ball."

Police arrested Jones, citing the football as a dangerous weapon in Jones’ assault charge.

Jones was arraigned in Malden District Court and had been released on personal recognizance as of Tuesday afternoon, according to court records.