The Boston Celtics may have to play on a while in the NBA playoffs with Rajon Rondo, who was ejected during yesterday’s 83-74 loss to the Atlanta Hawks after he bumped into referee Marc Davis.
Rondo passionately argued a foul call against teammate Brandon Bass with 41 seconds left in the game and the Celtics down by 4 points, an action that resulted in a technical foul.
As Davis was walking away, Rondo went after him to hammer home his point and bumped his chest against him. Rondo was immediately ejected.
This morning, NBA commissioner David Stern wouldn’t comment on how the league might be inclined to discipline Rondo, but made it clear how he felt about the situation.
“I don’t want to pre-judge on what the recommendation is going to be,” Stern said on ESPN Radio‘s The Herd with Colin Cowherd. “But as a fan, he obviously bumped him. And you know what happens with respect to that.”
Yes, we sure do.
The NBA rulebook clearly states, “Any player or coach guilty of intentional physical contact with an official shall automatically be suspended without pay for one game. A fine and/or longer period of suspension will result if circumstances so dictate.”
There have been three different instances so far this season where a player or coach has been suspended for one game for bumping into a referee.
“We have a hard and fast rule,” Stern said. “Unless somebody trips you and sends you into him, nobody touches a referee. That’s the proposition.”
Check it out in the video below. Do you think it was intentional?
Related articles
- Rajon Rondo Angrily Chest-Bumped a Referee and Probably Will Be Suspended For Game Two (thebiglead.com)
- Rajon Rondo Likely Facing Game 2 Suspension for Bumping Referee (slamonline.com)
- Rajon Rondo gives Celtics a bump in NBA playoff road (suntimes.com)
- Rajon Rondo Ejected In Boston Celtics Loss After Bumping Referee [VIDEO] (1340thefan.com)
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