Larry Scirotto, a big ten referee who has worked with the tournament for well over a decade as an official had lost his job in law enforcement for racial discrimination. The former officer was sacked from his position on March 3rd after being accused of racial discrimination against his own peers. He served at Fort Lauderdale in Florida for only six months before being dismissed.
According to the Fort Lauderdale city manager, Scirotto was terminated for racially discriminating during hiring and promotion tasks. Larry being a white man himself was allegedly being extremely hostile towards white officials. He was given his role by the department to help reform and create a diverse atmosphere in the workspace.
Larry Scirotto becomes a basketball referee as a side hustle following his dismissal from law enforcement
The 48-year old referee worked with law enforcement for 23-years and was a rising individual among his peers. Every sport allows individuals to work as a referee part-time which was exactly what he had been doing to earn on the side. He worked as a referee for two NCAA games last week at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis. He also worked during the early 90s as a college basketball referee.
Larry Scirotto had apparently worked around his schedule being an officer making sure he had his shift covered. According to the Pittsburg Tribune, this has been affecting his hours and Larry had used 22 total “buddy days” where his partner had covered for him. Even though he stated that he had gotten permission to referee, the city’s auditor after proper investigation and tracking said that he had also been officiating games while he was supposed to be on duty.
Larry Scirotto’s reputation continues to spiral down in racial discrimination allegations
In October 2021, three white officers and one Hispanic officer had lodged a complaint in their department about Scirotto’s partiality towards them during promotions. The group said they were passed over during the process because of their race. Fort Lauderdale’s city manager issued the firing of the Big Ten referee because of a report that was filed which stated that “There is a very divisive atmosphere within the department based on the perception the Chief is intentionally using race, gender and sexual orientation as attributes necessary for promotions.”
He had also chosen “blacker” individuals candidates for a specific role. Scirotto himself is openly homosexual being parented by a black father and white mother. He had denied speaking against the black race but he admitted to calling the department “too white” in order to encourage the hiring of black officers. Chris Lagerbloom, the city manager said, “We want to really have a police department that is focused on 21st century modern policing.” Scirotto may have been framed by Gregg Rossman, the prosecutor justified the Chief’s firing. Rossman has had a history involving corrupt practices himself receiving donations while running for state attorney and replaced Larry with Patrick Lynn who also donated towards Rossman.
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