Tennessee Rep. Jeremy Faison was booted from a high school basketball game following an incident with a referee during which he unsuccessfully attempted to perform a pantsing.
Per a regional report from WJHL, Faison—a Republican who serves as the state’s GOP House Caucus Chairman—made his way onto the court during a Providence Academy home game against Lakeway Christian. Notably, Faison’s son is a player for the Lakeway Christian team.
Faison was reportedly told to vacate the court, at which point he’s alleged to have become “hostile” before ultimately trying (and failing) to pull down a referee’s pants. A WJHL-cited Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) report adds that Faison allegedly told those trying to get him off the court that they couldn’t do so because “this was your fault.”
In a statement shared Tuesday night, Faison—whose Twitter bio includes the hashtags #Liberty, #Freedom, and #Merica—said he “acted the fool” on the evening in question. Per Faison, his behavior fell into the “not Christian” and “not mature” category while simultaneously ticking the “embarrassing to the child” box.
“Totally lost my junk and got booted from the gym,” Faison said. “I’ve never really lost my temper but I did tonight and it was completely stupid of me.”
Rep. Gloria Johnson, a Tennessee Democrat, has addressed Faison’s behavior at the high school basketball game by retweeting a slew of commentary on the incident, as well as linking it to schoolyard bully tactics “focused on petty retaliation.”
