Holy crap, when is the last time a ref elbowed a player in the throat? If you want to be ridiculous and go to extremes, I will concede that a player can put his hands on a ref, if the ref pulls a weapon and threatens another human being on the field. Does that satisfy you?
Now to the reasonable answer. A player can NEVER put their hands on a ref. It is a horrible precedent to even consider. The refs are outnumbered by a bunch of elite athletes that are mostly bigger and stronger and wearing protective equipment, some of which can be used as a weapon. Anything a ref could physically do to a player is likely less physical than what is happening in normal play and would be caught on camera. So again, a player can NEVER put their hands on a ref. NEVER!
