'I acted the fool': Tennessee GOP leader apologizes after threatening to fight, pants referee at high school basketball game

In deep red Tennessee, State Rep. Jeremy Faison — who chairs the House Republican Caucus in the Tennessee House of Representatives — is apologizing after threatening to fight a referee during a high school basketball game.

“The dustup included what appeared to be a failed attempt at pulling down the official’s pants, according to video footage,” the Associated Press reports.

On Tuesday, January 4, Faison — who was thrown out of the game — tweeted, “Unfortunately, I acted the fool tonight and lost my temper on a ref. I was wanting him to fight me. Totally lost my junk and got booted.... I was bad wrong.’

Faison’s son was among the players in the basketball game. In his apology, the Republican said that “for years,” he believed that when parents lose their temper at high school athletic events, it is “not Christian, and it’s not mature — and it’s embarrassing to the child.”

Faison met with then-President Donald Trump and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy when he visited Washington, D.C. in September 2020.