CLIFTON, Texas (KXXV) — “I think the expectation in Clifton is everybody expects the fans to act like adults and try to go to games to enjoy them," said an employee at Texas Luxury and Land, Danya Lane.
But that’s not what happened Tuesday night at a Clifton vs. Whitney basketball game.
Lane spends a lot of time in Clifton, and she heard about the incident and how officers removed a parent from the game after some said he became aggressive with game officials and cursed at the chief of police. The parent even refused to leave the game.
“Clifton is just a very conservative town and I think the expectations are really high for not only the kids but also the people that come and watch the kids do their thing," said Lane.
Clifton Police Department's Chief of Police Chris Blanton said there were multiple interruptions from Whitney fans. The first incident took place seconds into the game and the night ended with a parent being handcuffed and removed from the game by police.
He said there were about 400 fans in the gym, adding that actions have already been set for future games.
“And we are going to send our officers to our sports teams Whitney just to make sure our parents stay in line and make sure there’s no issues between the two teams moving forward. We are not going to tolerate it period if you come to Clifton and you act out of line we’re going to handle it accordingly," said Blanton.
Blanton said while he has experience with fans acting out from other towns, Whitney fans are known to act unruly. Whitney ISD posted on social media its sportsmanship expectations, asking community members to conduct themselves appropriately when attending games.
“There’s gotta be something for parents to sit back and relax and let the refs do their job, let the coaches do their job, and let the coaches enjoy what they’re doing," said Lane.
