The National Basketball Referees Association has stepped into a dispute far outside its own sport, publicly backing soccer officials who say a fellow referee was let down by the system meant to protect her. The NBA union isn't defending its own integrity this time, it's standing behind a female official from MLS Next Pro.
"We stand in solidarity with our Brothers and Sisters in @PSRAofficials," the NBA referees wrote, referring to the Professional Soccer Referees Association. "If the League won't uphold its own standards, who will protect the officials enforcing them?"
The Aug. 23 Incident
The dispute traces back to an August 23 match between Columbus Crew 2 and Huntsville City FC. Crew 2 head coach Federico Higuaín was shown a red card following what the PSRA described as "two deliberate acts of physical abuse and sexism against a female official - squeezing her hand and refusing to let go after being told to stop three times."
The union said the confrontation "was compounded by a demeaning, sexist remark to the official: 'Don't forget, this is a man's game.'"
A Punishment the Union Calls Too Light
MLS Next Pro responded with a two-game suspension along with additional restorative-practice training. The PSRA argues that falls well short of what league policy requires. Citing the 2026 U.S. Soccer Federation Policy Manual, the union noted that a "forceful grab" carries a minimum three-game suspension under existing rules, with acts of discrimination requiring an additional minimum three-game suspension on top of that.
PSRA president Peter Manikowski confirmed the coach involved was Higuaín, a former Argentine midfielder who spent eight seasons playing for the Columbus Crew before returning to the club as Crew 2's head coach in 2025.
Manikowski framed the union's criticism as extending beyond this single incident. "We wanted to make people aware, at all levels and across all sports, that when decision-makers need to make these decisions, incidents involving intimidation of match officials need to be taken seriously," he said.
MLS Next Pro has defended its process, telling reporters: "It was determined that the coach's behavior violated League policies and warranted additional discipline beyond the red card that was issued in the moment."
Why NBA Referees Got Involved
The NBA referees' union has spent nearly two decades rebuilding trust after Tim Donaghy's 2007 betting scandal, when the referee pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in wire fraud and to transmitting wagering information after admitting he bet on games he officiated and passed inside information to gamblers. That crisis forced the league to overhaul how it protects officials' integrity and standing.
This isn't the first time the NBRA has spoken out on threats to officials' safety in other sports. After NHL player Dennis Wideman's on-ice assault of linesman Don Henderson in 2016, the union's general counsel Lee Seham warned that "intentional physical violence towards referees is escalating each year."
A Wider Pattern
The NBA referees' decision to amplify PSRA's statement points to a broader unease among officiating unions about how leagues discipline misconduct toward referees, particularly female officials working in male-dominated environments. A female NFL official filed a federal harassment lawsuit this year alleging a three-year pattern of gender-based hostility from league personnel, while a former international referee in English football testified to a tribunal that she lost her position after reporting being forcefully pushed by a coach.
Referee advocacy groups across multiple sports are increasingly framing these cases not as isolated conduct issues, but as evidence of a systemic failure to protect officials, especially women, when the accused holds institutional power.
