By RYAN TOLMICH
Almost a month after being charged with insurance fraud, an MLS referee has been issued a suspension.
Jose Carlos Rivero, who most recently took charge of the Columbus Crew’s 3-1 win over the New York Red Bulls on Saturday, was suspended Thursday as a result of an Oct. 6 arrest for allegedly claiming over $14,000 in unemployment benefits while employed.
“The Professional Referees Organization is fully aware of the alleged charges against Jose Carlos Rivero,” P.R.O. said in a statement Thursday night. “Mr. Rivero has been suspended with immediate effect and will not be assigned to any further matches pending the outcome of the legal proceedings.”
Rivero, who has officiated 17 games this season, worked at least three games following his arrest earlier this month.
The 33-year-old was set to work this weekend’s meeting between Toronto FC and the New England Revolution as the fourth official.
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What do you think of the handling of Rivero’s case?
Share your thoughts below.
Why did it take “almost a month” to suspend him & he was allowed to work 3 games after arrest? Looking at you, PRO….
They just got around to reading the pile of old newspapers on the porch.
*** Caption This ***
“So … Should I turn my head and cou … OH! Hello?”
Refs are a shady bunch.
Pro tip: if you’re going to illegally collect unemployment benefits, it might not be a good idea to do it while working at a job that puts you on TV.
“MLS? No, tax man, that’s not a source of income, that stands for ‘My League Sunday’.”
Let’s all completely miss the point: that a referee who is charged with overseeing the integrity of each game he officiates, is engaging in fraud for financial benefit. Does it completely escape you all, that such an individual could possibly be engaging in match fixing, throwing the validity of his matches into question?
Nah, you know what? Let’s turn into men’s rights activists and moan and groan about Hope Solo instead of focusing on the topic at hand.
Leo writes “is engaging in fraud for financial benefit”
He was CHARGED with that. When you rip on everyone who is “missing the point”…you might want to not miss a major point.
No, YOU’VE missed the point. Employment in America does not require court approval in order for you to be disciplined or terminated. His suspension has nothing to do with a court of law, he does not need to be found guilty in order for MLS to take action against him.
MLS made the right move, irrespective of what happens to him or Hope Solo legally.
Being charged with defrauding the taxpayers is good enough to suspend a referee in my book. It directly affects his credibility until he’s cleared.
What employment did he maintain while claiming unemployment? Was it refereeing? You can still claim unemployment while employed if working a specific amount of hours while actively looking for a job.
And why is he grabbing the crotch of a Colorado player here?
I completely missed that. Hysterical.
Haha..he is also being charged w sexual harrasment
Ha! And the look at Wynn’s face is like, “Ugh, again…”
I think the key here is that although it is only an arrest, the charge is something that relates enough to his job enough warrant action. Simply the accusation undermines his credibility as a referee.
Yep. Every time you sign up to be a referee (in my state at least), they ask if you have any convictions for anything, specifically anything honesty- or financial-related (fraud, embezzlement, tax issues).
The Whiners are going to have a field day ! Those guys had dreams about this. Prayed for it before bedtime for years.
i think you may whine more about ‘the whiners’ than they do about mls.
You are probably correct. At least it makes it tollerable…well for me anyway !
Fraud sucks. This dude sucks.
MLS suspends players within days of on-field infractions but took three weeks to get to this guy.
There’s a joke in here somewhere about a referee being so bad that he was entitled to unemployment benefits because he really wasn’t working during the games.
Corrupt SOB.
…but Hope Solo is still playing, right? Thank goodness!!
I mean, domestic abuse is fine but insurance fraud will not be tolerated by any means.
At least Gulati notified the press/fans that everything is ok in the soap opera of JK/Garber. Right?
Just another example of double standards by media, fans and federations.
Fair enough, this is only an arrest just like Solo was only arrested.
Although, the disparity between the two is likely really just because one is famous and the other is totally expendable.
…but mostly due to the anatomy.
I think increase is right. It has more to with degree of fame/expendable.
I think it’s pathetic on the part of women’s soccer that Hope is allowed to play on.
Saying that, this is MLS and they handled it well. Hope’s was a personal issue, this one affects MLS personally.
I was expecting it to say that the referee was corrupt. Those Asian big betters must have finally found the untapped MLS market… Sadly, we aren’t on Serie A’s level yet…
did your girlriend dump you?.. mr Mens rights activist
Hey there are some serious obvious mens rights issues. Like the draft. Either make everyone register or just get rid of it.(I dont wanna go to Syria. )
My word. Solo is a 110-pound girl who got drunk and maybe did something loopy. At worst there was some mussed-up hair and a split lip and a bunch of hurt feelings. If she’d picked up a baseball bat or a knife and done some serious damage she’d be charged with felony assault, but that’s also what it takes for somebody her size to do a comparable amount of damage to a 250-pound pumped-up athlete, like, say, Ray Rice punching out his girlfriend in an elevator or especially what War Machine did to Christine Mack.
Acting like a complete arse – or even a raving maniac – is one thing, doing a ton of physical damage is another, and the two are NOT the same. Obviously Solo is tap-dancing on the ledge when it comes to representing the USWNT if she really acted in the manner in which she was accused but the appropriate punishment would seem to be a lifetime of un-invites to family functions and I suspect that’s going to happen regardless. They seem kinda miffed with her.
Just like it’s not the same when a ref, whose judgment and integrity needs to be held above reproach, is charged with financial fraud. How is that even kind of similar to what Solo did?
+1
My thoughts exactly
Sorry, quozzel. Domestic violence is domestic violence.
No it is not.
This is a link to the Washington Post article that includes photos of what Christine Mack looked like after War Machine allegedly got done with her:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/08/12/christy-mack-shares-photos-of-the-beating-she-allegedly-endured-at-the-hands-of-mma-fighter-war-machine/
Did Hope Solo, if she’s guilty of what she’s charged of, do wrong? Yup. Absolutely. But this “domestic violence is domestic violence” stuff is the worst kind of nonsense. Solo’s a strong girl but men, on average, have two and a half times the natural upper body strength of a woman…whereas from the waist down, women can be as strong as men, pound for pound. Women just weren’t designed to run through the forest and hit things over the head with a stick. Men were.
Dunno where the line is legally – and the law often makes no sense anyhow – but there’s a very real one in practical terms.
I’m sorry but I actually burst into laughter when I read your thoughts on running through forests and hitting things over the head with sticks.
What decade (or century) are you in?
Bullcrap.. Solo is a top athlete capable of causing some serious injury to most people. Lets’s sop with the apologetic bs. She wasn’t suspended because she’s famous and makes a lot of money for the program. End of story.
Ya no way solo is only 110. 5ft 9 isnt huge but she will have muscle. I bet shes at least 140 or so.
According to google 152. I was off by 10 huh.
Which makes her, by the way, heavier than noted weakling Manny Pacquiao.
Exaggerating wont help your argument. If you want to think we live in a society where men and women are equal, then they need to be treated equally when they allegedly break the law, too. Also, Hope Solo is not a little 110 pound girl, she is a professional athlete, who is taller than Ray Rice, as it were.
Without defending Solo (or certainly domestic violence) there is a distinction here that I think some have missed:
Because a charge like fraud directly calls into question the ability to do his job (e.g. referee impartially), an immediate suspension is a defensible if not necessary action (much as an injunction in a civil court). He may even be on a paid suspension– he just can’t be allowed to influence matches until the matter is settled. I think most would agree that this is common sense– nobody would want to see their team’s match decided by a referee under legal investigation for fraud, and an immediate suspension is thus warranted.
It is harder to make this argument in the case of Solo, because the immediate need for a suspension is less concrete. Certainly, you could suggest there is some image risk being incurred by USSF and NWSL, but let’s not forget that the principles of justice in this country mandate that she remains innoncent until proven guilty in a court of law. She has been convicted of no crime yet and has declined to give her side of the story before having her day in court Though the odds would appear low based on what has been disclosed, she could still be cleared of wrongdoing in a court of law. If this were to happen employers such as USSF and NWSL who chose to suspend her could find themselves in an unenviable position if Solo chose to come after them for damages incurred, be they financial, professional, or otherwise.
It’s not a simple issue, and it’s not clear yet what *should* happen (and may never be). But the NFL has shown what a slippery slope it is to insert itself in the role of the justice system (and USSF and NWSL have far less robust financial/legal resources to try this). If the USSF suspend Solo, expect it to happen after the courts return a verdict, or a plea has been reached.