Soccer ref | The Salt Lake Tribune

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Re "Family mourns Utah soccer referee's death" (Tribune, May 6):

As a former volunteer soccer official in Virginia who was also assaulted by a teammate of a player to whom I was issuing a "red card," it is apparent these cowards prefer to strike while our eyes are down, writing up the offender.

My damaged left shoulder needed surgery. The attacker did six months in jail.

Events like the punch that killed volunteer soccer referee Ricardo Portillo in Salt Lake City cause good people to quit volunteering, and innocent kids suffer.

My heart goes out to the Portillo family. I hope this kid is allowed to sit in prison for the next 30 years, thinking about what he did in a three-second fit of anger.

That would be a sign to others who would abuse those who volunteer to support their happiness.

Herb Nelson Jr.

Falmouth, Va.