Football referee fired after incident with 5-year-old boy

COBB COUNTY, Ga. - Parents are outraged after an incident involving an adult referee and a 5-year-old boy during a little league football tournament.

Karen Mosley said the man threw her son to the ground after a play during the game Monday in Austell. The Atlanta Bulldogs Academy and Welcome All Panthers squared off in the matchup hosted by D1Spects, an Atlanta-based youth sports organization.

Mosely told FOX 5 the referee threw her son without cause.

"He didn't try to jump on the pile. He slid on the pile. And one of the referees forcibly pushed him over," Mosely said. "I walked up to him, and [my son] was crying."

Other parents reported seeing the child thrown several feet during the incident. They have been sharing video of the incident on social media.

FOX 5's Marissa Mitchell spoke with D1Spects President Harold Thompson over the phone. He declined an interview but said he apologized to parents via a Facebook post for the incident, and he also terminated the referee from working any future games with the group.

Mosely said she isn't satisfied with that result. She wants more punishment for the referee.

"If we can't trust their officials and who they hire, we can't possibly do business..." Mosely stressed. "I didn't get an apology from him. It was on Facebook, but that isn't enough."

The referee didn't return calls from FOX 5.