LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan State University trustee has been charged with assault following a dispute over a referee’s calls during a girls’ basketball tournament.
The Lansing State Journal reports that Mitch Lyons was coaching one of the teams when he allegedly pushed a referee after a December game. Lyons faces a misdemeanor charge of assault and battery.
His attorney says Lyons denies the allegations. Lyons has been a university trustee since 2011.
The referee told police that he had to make a couple calls that caused one team to lose, then issued two technical fouls following a verbal dispute that followed. The referee says a coach confronted him after the game and twice pushed him in the chest with his hands.
A court hearing is set for Feb. 12.
