The Rugby Football Union panel found the incident at a match in England highly offensive, initially imposing a 42-week ban. Photo / Getty Images
A rugby player has been banned from spectating or participating in the sport for 32 weeks after shouting “get your baps out, ref” at a female official while watching one of his club’s matches.
Casey Johnson, a prop for the Ossett RUFC in West Yorkshire, England, admitted the incident, which took place during a match this year, with a Rugby Football Union panel finding him guilty of conduct prejudicial to the interests of the union and the game in a hearing in June.
The panel found the severity of the incident – “the phrase was abhorrent and highly offensive” – made it a “top end” offence and initially imposed a ban of 42 weeks on Johnson, who said he was “intoxicated” at the time and “had no real explanation for why he shouted the phrase at the match official”.
The referee, whose identity is kept anonymous in the written verdict, described how she had been “shocked” at the verbal tirade and how her parents, who were among the crowd and heard the remarks, were “heartbroken and angry”.
Johnson’s subsequent remorse and his acceptance of the charge “at the earliest opportunity”, with a clean disciplinary record, meant the panel reduced the suspension by 33%, to 28 weeks. A mandatory four weeks was then added on as stipulated by the RFU for referee abuse.
The panel noted how Johnson “appreciated at the time that what he had said was inappropriate and had intended to apologise to the match official at the end of the game but was advised by friends not to do so given his intoxicated state”. Johnson, who was described as a “positive influence” by a committee member at Ossett, was also forced to pay £125 ($285) in costs.
Although Johnson admitted shouting “get your baps out, ref” from the touchline during the set-up of a lineout, he denied adding “show us your boobs”. However, the panel was content that “made no difference to the appropriate sanction”.
The panel said: “It goes without saying that such a phrase shouted to a woman has no place in society, including rugby, and it plainly goes against rugby’s core values. It has the very real potential to impact on the participation of women in rugby [whether as match official, player, coach or spectator] and cannot and must not be tolerated.”
Johnson received a suspension “from playing, coaching and spectating from August 1, 2025, to March 13, 2026”, which does not include midweek training.
The panel said how the referee “handled the situation impeccably” and how “her ability to continue to referee the game and deal with the aftermath of the incident [has been] hugely impressive”. In her written testimony, the referee praised the response of both clubs in identifying Johnson and taking swift action.
“I was approached by the Ossett coach after the game who told me that he had been made aware by my dad during the game of the nature of the comments that were being made,” she wrote. “The coach profusely apologised and informed me that they had sent someone over during the game to speak to the spectators. After the game as I was walking to the changing rooms I was approached by the spectators’ friends who apologised on his behalf... and also apologised to both of my parents at the end of the match.
“Once changed, I entered the clubhouse and approached the Ossett coach to get the name of the spectator. The coach returned two minutes later with their head coach, who had been watching the game, and the spectator’s name. The head coach apologised on behalf of the spectator and the club and condemned the spectator’s behaviour and called it unacceptable, ‘disgusting’, and assured me it did not represent the values of the club.
“Whilst I don’t condone what happened, and I wouldn’t wish it upon any match official, I am glad that what started off as an uncomfortable and negative experience was made significantly better with the reactions and support that I’ve received both post-match and from people within the refereeing community.”
In conclusion, the panel also acknowledged and commended the approach taken by both clubs.
“Female participation in rugby [whether playing, coaching, refereeing or spectating] is fundamental to the values of rugby union and a vital element of the game,” the panel wrote. “That participation is put at risk by actions such as those of [Johnson] here and it is the responsibility of everyone involved in rugby to take whatever steps are necessary to ensure that such actions are removed from the game.”