FILE - Rep. Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby, center, talks with Rep. Dan Howell, R-Georgetown, left, during a meeting, Aug. 11, 2020, successful Nashville, Tenn. A apical Tennessee House Republican lawmaker has apologized for losing his temper and being ejected from watching a precocious schoolhouse hoops crippled aft getting into a confrontation with a referee, including a little motion astatine pulling down the official's pants that is disposable successful video footage of the game. On Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022 Rep. Jeremy Faison, 45, posted connected Twitter that helium acted the fool contiguous and mislaid my temper connected a ref. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, file) (Mark Humphrey, Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A apical Tennessee House Republican lawmaker has apologized for losing his temper and being ejected from watching a precocious schoolhouse hoops crippled aft a confrontation with a referee. The dustup included what appeared to beryllium either a feigned oregon failed effort astatine pulling down the official's pants, according to video footage.

On Tuesday, Rep. Jeremy Faison, 45, posted connected Twitter that helium “acted the fool contiguous and mislaid my temper connected a ref.”

“I was wanting him to combat me. Totally mislaid my junk and got booted from the gym," Faison wrote. "I've ne'er truly mislaid my temper but I did contiguous and it was wholly anserine of me.

“Emotions getting successful the mode of rational thoughts are ne'er good. I anticipation to beryllium capable to find the ref and inquire for his forgiveness. I was atrocious wrong.”

Providence Academy, a backstage spiritual schoolhouse successful Johnson City, livestreamed the boys crippled Tuesday against Lakeway Christian Academy, a backstage spiritual schoolhouse successful White Pine. Faison's lad is connected the Lakeway team.

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The video provender shows Faison sitting successful the stands earlier players deed the crushed connected a escaped shot successful the 3rd quarter, spurring the referee's whistle and a little scuffle betwixt the 2 teams.

According to a study provided by the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association, Faison showed up connected the tribunal and was past told by a referee to leave. Faison past pointed a digit astatine the referee's look and said, “You can't archer maine to permission the level this was your fault,” the study stated.

Faison past grabs the ref's pants and tugged down connected them, the study says.

The referee's pants stayed up and Faison subsequently walked away.

Since 2019, Faison has been the House caucus president for Republicans, who person supermajorities successful some legislative chambers. The GOP caucus president is the third-highest presumption successful the House.

In his apology, the lawmaker from Cosby wrote that “for years" helium has thought it is incorrect for parents to suffer their temper astatine sporting events, saying it is “not Christian and it's not mature and it's embarrassing to the child.” Faison did not specifically notation the pants-pulling-down motion successful his post.

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News of Faison's actions rapidly sparked criticism.

"'Pantsing' a ref connected the gym level is adjacent level bullying…not adjacent the worldly of mediate schoolhouse locker rooms," Rep. Gloria Johnson, a Knoxville Democrat, tweeted Wednesday.

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This communicative has been corrected to amusement that the schoolhouse is Lakeway Christian Academy, not Lakewood Christian Academy.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.