Logo

Mike McCarthy might not have realized working the officials in the NFL isn’t the same as working them in high school.

Pulaski School District officials in Wisconsin filed a formal complaint against the former Packers coach for an incident with referees following his stepson’s high school basketball game on Tuesday night, according to FOX 11 in Green Bay.

The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association filed the complaint.

The incident occurred after Notre Dame Academy — the team for which McCarthy’s stepson plays — lost by a point to Pulaski High School.

FOX 11, through an open records request, obtained video that appeared to show McCarthy following referees as they made their way out of the gym after the game. District officials confirmed the man in the video was McCarthy and said he directed “unsportsmanlike language” at the referees.

“This parent chose to follow the officials and berate them, which is clearly unacceptable,” said Janel Batten, Pulaski’s athletic director. “Some things were said, some language was used that we don’t want in our gym, unsportsmanlike language.”

One of the referees FOX 11 talked to off camera described the encounter as a “verbal tirade” and called it an “unfortunate situation.”

Steph Mathu, Notre Dame Academy’s athletic director, also released a statement on the situation.

“We have been contacted by the WIAA regarding last night’s basketball game, and we are currently looking further into this situation,” the statement said. “We will continue to stress the importance of sportsmanship and respect to our students, parents, fans, and community members.”

The 55-year-old McCarthy expressed interest in coaching the Jets but was passed over for Adam Gase. After the Jets turned him down, he took himself out of consideration for all other head-coaching jobs for the upcoming season.

McCarthy, who coached the Packers for 12-plus seasons, led the team to a Super Bowl in the 2010 season. He was fired with four games left in the 2018 season.

Comments
anonymous profile image
Powered by RoundtableBuilt on infrastructure designed for real-time media. Learn more at RTB.io.© Roundtable 2026. By using this site you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy