A Polk County father is in hot water after video caught him punching a referee at a Florida PAL Elite football game.
Deputies in Osceola County said Leo Davis, of Lakeland, was seen in a video charging at a referee before hitting him to the ground.
Originally, investigators said Davis claimed he hit the referee because he was trying to break up a fight. But according to deputies, the video proved otherwise.
Davis was arrested, charged with battery on a sports official and booked into the Osceola County Jail on a $1,000 bond.
Davis is the parent of a player on the Lakeland Destroyers football team, part of the PAL Elite football league. The team was playing at Liberty High School, near Poinciana.
The referee had minor injuries, investigators said.
In a statement from the Lakeland Destroyers, the board of directors said of Davis:
He is a father of a player and he was not supposed to be on the sidelines. We hold our staff to a high standard of behavior. We will review our sideline practices and ensure this incident does not happen again.
Davis had initially told deputies he was a coach for the team, which was erroneously reported in our earlier story.