In 2017, during the playing of the national anthem before a high school football match, four players from one team chose to kneel in protest, a gesture they had made previously. Before the game, one of the referees, Ernie Lunardelli, informed the Greater Middlesex Conference officials assigner that he intended to walk away from the game if the players kneeled in protest. As anticipated, Lunardelli followed through on his threat and left the football field at Monroe High School in New Jersey.

Lunardelli explained, “I’m not in favor of anyone disrespecting our country, our flag, the armed forces.” He added, “What they’re protesting has nothing to do with the national anthem and I’m against it, so I decided to protest them kneeling and that’s what I did.”

According to Colts Neck Coach Darian Barnes, Lunardelli didn’t leave the field peacefully. Instead, he claims Lunardelli had to be pulled off the field. Lunardelli denies this claim explaining, “One of the coaches said something and it kind of irked me, and I just turned around and I was looking to see who it was.” He added, “Nobody pulled me; I walked off.”

The other referee at the game was Lunardelli’s son, Anthony Lunardelli, who graduated from Monroe High School in 2008 and used to play football at Monroe prior to graduation. He joined his dad, walking off the field and leaving the game in protest.

After the refs left the field, racist comments on social media supposedly made by Lunardelli came to light. The comments supposedly written by Lunardelli say that Barak and Michelle Obama should go “back to the zoo.” According to Lunardelli, he “was hacked” and did not make the comments. He added, “I’m standing by what I did and it has nothing to do with race or anything else.”

Lunardelli and his son both ended up resigning as refs.

Do you believe Lunardelli that he “was hacked”? Do you think it was out of line for him to protest the football players who decided to take a knee during the national anthem by refusing to ref the game?

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