On This Day
NBA Ref Suspended for Challenging Duncan to Fight
by
findingDulcinea Staff
Veteran NBA referee Joey Crawford was suspended indefinitely after an in-game altercation with San Antonio Spurs star Tim Duncan, highlighting an ongoing debate over how to deal with the egos of referees and players alike.
30 Second Summary
Joey Crawford is one of the most well respected referees in the NBA, that's why he's officiated more postseason games than any other active referee.
But after his altercation with Tim Duncan, he can expect to miss out on this year’s playoffs.
NBA Commissioner David Stern has suspended Crawford indefinitely for his behavior toward Tim Duncan during an April 15 game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Dallas Mavericks.
Duncan contends that Crawford challenged him to a fight after ejecting him from the game with a second technical foul while he sat the bench laughing with a teammate.
Crawford, who is as well know for his excellent officiating as he is his temper, says that Duncan referred to him with an expletive, and as a result the Spurs Forward-Center has been fined $25,000 for verbal abuse of an official.
The controversy has inspired a number of debates over the authority of NBA referees, and whether it serves the interest of the fans.
Some basketball pundits believe it hypocritical of Commissioner Stern to dish out such a harsh punishment after instating his zero tolerance policy on player complaining this season. Still others applaud him for holding referees to the same standards of conduct as the players.
But after his altercation with Tim Duncan, he can expect to miss out on this year’s playoffs.
NBA Commissioner David Stern has suspended Crawford indefinitely for his behavior toward Tim Duncan during an April 15 game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Dallas Mavericks.
Duncan contends that Crawford challenged him to a fight after ejecting him from the game with a second technical foul while he sat the bench laughing with a teammate.
Crawford, who is as well know for his excellent officiating as he is his temper, says that Duncan referred to him with an expletive, and as a result the Spurs Forward-Center has been fined $25,000 for verbal abuse of an official.
The controversy has inspired a number of debates over the authority of NBA referees, and whether it serves the interest of the fans.
Some basketball pundits believe it hypocritical of Commissioner Stern to dish out such a harsh punishment after instating his zero tolerance policy on player complaining this season. Still others applaud him for holding referees to the same standards of conduct as the players.
Read TheSportsNetwork Coverage
Read the full Sports Network coverage on the newsroom.org
Read the full Sports Network coverage on the newsroom.org
Headline
It remains unknown whether Crawford will be allowed to return to the NBA after the end of this season. This, however, isn’t the first time he’s gotten attention for his temper. In Game 2 of the 2003 Western Conference finals, Crawford called four technical fouls during the first 10-plus minutes.
Source: NBC Sports
Reactions
NBA officials interviewed Tim Duncan about his part in the altercation. Duncan admitted that he had called the referee a “piece of [expletive],” but said that wasn’t why he was ejected.
Source: San Antonio Express News
Opinions
Fox Sports columnist Kevin Hench blasts Commissioner Stern for Crawford’s lengthy suspension, saying that Crawford was simply enacting Stern’s stringent rules on player behavior: “David Stern will now hang Crawford out to dry and pretend his zero tolerance policy had nothing to do with creating this problem in the first place.”
Source: Fox Sports
Sports Illustrated columnist Phil Taylor criticizes Stern’s judgment, writing that it “far exceeds the seriousness of the crime.” Taylor goes on to question the repercussions of the ruling, asking “Will refs be a bit gun-shy about calling technicals for fear that Stern won't approve of their judgment? And what of the players? Now that they've seen Crawford's drastic punishment, will they feel more free to challenge other officials' authority?”
Source: Sports Illsutrated
Sports Illustrated columnist Ian Thomsen writes that although holding refs accountable for their on-court actions is important, Stern’s decision only highlights the fact that the league still hasn’t figured out its “ever-complicated relationship with the referees.”
Source: Sports Illustrated
CBS Sportsline columnist Mike Freeman applauds Stern’s decision, writing that “Stern has grabbed control of the NBA, and the latest evidence of this is the stiff-arm to the sternum he applied to egomaniac referee Joey Crawford.”
Source: CBS Sportsline
Frank Irizarry offers a humorous theory as to why Crawford ejected Duncan from the game on his blog Big Papa’s Bottom Line: Crawford was upset over tax day woes.
Source: Fox Sports Blog
Most Recent Beyond The Headlines
© 2012 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
