Refereeing is a pretty thankless gig. No matter the sport, officials' decisions are consistently questioned and the peeps in pinstripes are routinely berated by rowdy fans. Heck, for some refs, the stress extends beyond the stadium—the NBA has its own complaint hotline for goodness' sake.
Todd Lebranche, however, is trying to buck the trend through his honesty and sharp wit. Last week, the National Lacrosse League zebra exercised his authority and disciplined two players who simply weren't getting along. It all went down when after some words were exchanged in the early stages of a game between the Vancouver Stealth and Colorado Mammoth. After a few minutes of pettiness, Lebranche decided he had seen enough and blew his whistle.
In an incredibly blunt tone, Todd flipped on his microphone and laid down the law. “These two were clearly having issues with each other, could not restrain themselves, so we’re going to give them two minutes to think about what they’ve done," he said. Needless to say, the event gave everyone in the arena a good chuckle and immediately entered the conversation for best penalty call of the year. Check it out below via the Mammoth's Twitter feed.
